My thoughts on POR -- just returned

JeanetteK

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 6, 2012
Hi all! :wave2: DH and I returned a couple days ago from our 9 night/10 day stay at Port Orleans - Riverside. Thought I'd post my comments on the resort. This was our second trip. Last year we stayed at Coronado Springs.

We booked and paid for a Riverview room. I was hoping to be in Magnolia Bend - either Acadia House or Magnolia Terrace. We arrived around 9:30 a.m. and went immediately to check-in. We were told that we were upgraded to a Royal Room. Okay, that's fine. Is it still Riverview? "Yes." Well I guess "technically" it was a river view -- if the trees didn't have any leaves on them. Anyway, the room was nice -- we were so exhausted from our drive that I didn't even try to get a different room, because we were told the room was ready. So off we went to the room. Very nice location in Oak Manor.

The resort is beautiful. The quiet pool we used was very nice and large. HOWEVER, it was not so quiet. There were a lot, and I mean A LOT, of kids. Now, I understand we're in Disney -- DH and I are childless -- we don't dislike children (love our nieces and nephews), but I was hoping for some quiet time at the pool.

The Riverside Mill was a great food court. Everything we tried was really good. Especially loved the cajun chicken sandwich.

So, we thought the resort really was beautiful. BUT, if we had a choice (and we all always have choices), we would stay at Coronado Springs for the next trip (and maybe always -- unless we go deluxe). Coronado, to us, just felt like more an adult resort.

So there you have it. Just my 2 cents worth.
 
I have solo a few times to POR, and I guess like any other resorts, I found quiet times by the pool to be mainly during the day and early evening, when everyone is at the parks.
 
Glad you had a nice trip, and I agree that CSR seems more adult than the other mods. I think the "Disney definition" of quiet pool actually just means there are no water features (slide, splash area, etc..) or bar.
 
We found Coronado to be very adult like. It might be something to do with the convention facilities. Plus the theming for families and children just didn't quite have the pixie dust. Gorgeous hotel though and we enjoyed our stay. Food court was amazing.

POR is one of the few if only MOD's that can accommodate 5 people. Very popular for a family of 5.
 


We just returned from POR too! Seems like many got upgraded to a royal room. We got what we paid for...preferred but I was ok with that! We thought the place was perfect for children. I was actually just thinking about our other choices for moderates for next time. I am happy to read the reviews of CSR being more adult....we'll skip there and stick to the places that cater more to the kids! I agree.....POR had a lot of kids! However, by our room was so quiet and we hardly saw anyone. Our quiet pool was empty a lot of the time!
 
I'm actually debating between these two resorts right now! I have a 5 year old (or she will be 5 at the time of our visit at least!), so maybe POR will be better. All depends on what's available with the 25% off discount come Thursday morning.

It looks like there are no standards at POR available for my travel dates, but I could go with Garden View. Assuming that, it would cost me about $40 to stay at POR versus CSR. Would you say the extra disney-fication of the resort is worth it with a 5 year old?

I do think the pool at CSR looks like more fun....
 


I think the "Disney definition" of quiet pool actually just means there are no water features (slide, splash area, etc..) or bar.

You are right. They are actually starting to call them "leisure pools", which seems a better fit. Quiet pool is a bit misleading.

I get from the tone of your post your lack of a view wasn't a huge deal, but if that ever happens to you again, let them know. They can do some trimming so that your river view room would indeed be a river view, and not a tree view.
 
You are right. They are actually starting to call them "leisure pools", which seems a better fit. Quiet pool is a bit misleading.

I get from the tone of your post your lack of a view wasn't a huge deal, but if that ever happens to you again, let them know. They can do some trimming so that your river view room would indeed be a river view, and not a tree view.

Maybe I should clarify -- compared to CSR, which seemed like a quiet pool because there was hardly ever anyone there besides me and DH, POR was just more crowded. The kids didn't bother us at all, we really enjoyed the pool time - no matter what time of day we went. There were just noticeably more kids at POR than CSR.

The view didn't bother us at all. We were actually on the 3rd floor in Oak Manor, so the tops of the trees were blocking our view. I just assumed that's why they put us in a Royal Room -- because they didn't have any other river view rooms (with good views) available.

To the PP asking about CSR theming for kids -- I didn't think there was a lot of "DISNEY" at POR or CSR. The big pool at CSR was great for kids and adults. I didn't visit the big pool at POR, but I know lots of posters have said that their kids loved the pool at CSR.

We did enjoy POR, but for 2 middle aged adults with no children, I loved CSR. I just didn't fall in love with POR. But, that's what is great about Disney properties -- there is something for everyone :thumbsup2:thumbsup2
 
Let me tell you all about your ADULT Coronado Springs. We stayed there three times. Two of those times were far from adult.

1 - We had the Teeny Bopper Soccer Convention - with the entire resort overrun by 10 to 12 year-old boys. No one could get near the Cabanas pool, which we really loved. We never used it on that trip. They were NOT quiet. They were slobs at the pool, never cleaning up after themselves. They chanted loudly everywhere they went. They ran around the resort unsupervised. It was not pleasant. ADULT resort??? Hmmmmm!

2 - The convention was for families of young children with Downs Syndrome. They were quiet & well-behaved because they were with their parents, and caused no issues for us at all. In fact, they were extremely pleasant on the bus rides to the parks. They were great conversationalists & added to our Disney enjoyment. However, they were not adults, as many of you have claimed. ADULT resort??? Hmmmmm!

Based on our experiences, I cannot agree with the ADULT label being put on CSR. No way!
 
Let me tell you all about your ADULT Coronado Springs. We stayed there three times. Two of those times were far from adult.

1 - We had the Teeny Bopper Soccer Convention - with the entire resort overrun by 10 to 12 year-old boys. No one could get near the Cabanas pool, which we really loved. We never used it on that trip. They were NOT quiet. They were slobs at the pool, never cleaning up after themselves. They chanted loudly everywhere they went. They ran around the resort unsupervised. It was not pleasant. ADULT resort??? Hmmmmm!

2 - The convention was for families of young children with Downs Syndrome. They were quiet & well-behaved because they were with their parents, and caused no issues for us at all. In fact, they were extremely pleasant on the bus rides to the parks. They were great conversationalists & added to our Disney enjoyment. However, they were not adults, as many of you have claimed. ADULT resort??? Hmmmmm!

Based on our experiences, I cannot agree with the ADULT label being put on CSR. No way!

But CSR is more directed towards adults than the other Mods.
There is family entertainment at the the other Mods and CSR has an ADULT night club/lounge.
The other Mods have more family amenities like boat and bike rentals and CSR does not.
CSR has "Business suites" the others do not.
 
Hmmmmm. Lots of kids at a Disney resort?

Very odd...

(kidding folks...kidding)

We seriously looked at both resorts but decided to go with a deluxe
 
Hmmmmm. Lots of kids at a Disney resort?

Very odd...

(kidding folks...kidding)

We seriously looked at both resorts but decided to go with a deluxe

Pssssssst. There are kids at the deluxe resorts too! Shocking, I know!!;)

What deluxe did you decide on?
 
maxiesmom said:
Pssssssst. There are kids at the deluxe resorts too! Shocking, I know!!;)

What deluxe did you decide on?

We did WL two years ago, and we got a great deal for BC for this summer. We are bringing 3 kids: DS, DD, and myself...my wife is a saint
 
We've stayed at POR twice now and both times found the quiet pools to be much better compared to the main pool that was jam packed with families. First trip was May and we went to the quiet pool on weekday afternoons and had no issues. Second trip was in September and same experience, but maybe with a few more people. I guess it's all in the timing! I will say, however, that I don't find the quiet pools at POR to be as nice aesthetically or as big as quiet pools at comparable resorts.

We are trying CSR next trip so I'm glad to hear it has more of an adult vibe.
 
To the OP, the last two weeks of April are high vacation weeks for All Of New England...perhaps the timing of your visit had a lot to do with the amount of kids at your resort. I just got off the Fantasy and it was packed with kids and oddly enough a lot of families from abroad. So it may be the time of year and the POR may have been a featured resort for foreign travelers. JMHO.
 
I see no need for THREE people to belittle another poster's answer - just for a difference of opinion. Thank you. :thumbsup2 :goodvibes

We teach our children to play nice - to be kind - to listen to the other person & accept them for who they are. We teach them to try to see the other child's point of view on questions & answers. Good lessons, aren't they? :goodvibes
 
I'm actually debating between these two resorts right now! I have a 5 year old (or she will be 5 at the time of our visit at least!), so maybe POR will be better. All depends on what's available with the 25% off discount come Thursday morning.

It looks like there are no standards at POR available for my travel dates, but I could go with Garden View. Assuming that, it would cost me about $40 to stay at POR versus CSR. Would you say the extra disney-fication of the resort is worth it with a 5 year old?

I do think the pool at CSR looks like more fun....

You should pay the extra for a garden view - it's totally worth it. Not that the actual view is worth the money, but if you look at the room choices on www.portorleans.org you'll see that "garden view" gets you a much better location.

We love POR and will probably never stay anywhere else on property. We like to book a garden view and then request Magnolia Terrace. Best location, IMO.
 
I see no need for THREE people to belittle another poster's answer - just for a difference of opinion. Thank you. :thumbsup2 :goodvibes

We teach our children to play nice - to be kind - to listen to the other person & accept them for who they are. We teach them to try to see the other child's point of view on questions & answers. Good lessons, aren't they? :goodvibes

Original poster here. I didn't see anyone belittling anyone else's opinions here. I never meant for my original post to cause an uproar on the resorts board. It's just my opinion. While I think POR was beautiful and enjoyed the grounds and the food court, I personally just preferred Coronado. Just my opinion. It's not gospel. I even said that's what is great about Disney - there is something for everyone. I never said I didn't like kids, I specifically stated that the kids didn't bother us. POR is a beautiful resort -- I just didn't fall in love with it the way I did with CSR.
 
Was the cajun chicken sandwich spicy? We are doing a split stay 4 nights BC and 3 nights POR in the RGRs. Looking forward to it especially a nice food court after trying awful Deluxe Food courts.
 

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