Disney's PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE RESORT Information & Questions

[DisneyFanJenn]

Does every bus stop at POR have the monitors that tell you when you can expect the next bus to your destination?

 

[awalker1015]

Hi everyone
This will be my first time staying at POR and I leave in less than 9 weeks! I have just two questions for now. Firstly, does anyone know how much bottled water costs by the case at the resort? Do you all use the coffee maker? I read a scary coffee maker thread a few years ago, lol! Also, I booked a garden room thinking I'd get the mansions for sure. Is that the case?
Thank you!!

Not aurw about water case prices but I can attest to the coffee. It's Joffreys and the first two trips I thought it was terrible - until I brewed it with bottled rather than tap water. Made all the difference. So factor that into your water bottle consumption needs.

 

[keahgirl8]

Not aurw about water case prices but I can attest to the coffee. It's Joffreys and the first two trips I thought it was terrible - until I brewed it with bottled rather than tap water. Made all the difference. So factor that into your water bottle consumption needs.

Yeah... I'm not a coffee drinker, but I can imagine. That water is pretty terrible.

 

[Momma J]

Garden view only guarantees you won't get a parking lot view. I'm not sure how much the water is. I usually order from Garden Grocer.

Is there a delivery fee to order from Garden Grocer?

 

[keahgirl8]

Is there a delivery fee to order from Garden Grocer?

Yes. The minimum order is $40 and the delivery fee is $14. It's a lot, but I like it because I like getting a lot of fruit as well.

 

[Cluelyss]

Not aurw about water case prices but I can attest to the coffee. It's Joffreys and the first two trips I thought it was terrible - until I brewed it with bottled rather than tap water. Made all the difference. So factor that into your water bottle consumption needs.

Water is 6.99 for 24 12-oz bottles.

 

[Ariel on Land]

Does every bus stop at POR have the monitors that tell you when you can expect the next bus to your destination?

They all have monitors, but they are not always showing all buses. For example, last week I think I only saw MK on the west depot's monitors twice the whole time, and obviously MK buses go through quite regularly!

 

[REEREEG]

I see that people request particular locations within the resort. Is "2nd floor of alligator bayou near the fishin hole" too specific?

 

[keahgirl8]

I see that people request particular locations within the resort. Is "2nd floor of alligator bayou near the fishin hole" too specific?

Not at all! People get more specific than that!

 

[REEREEG]

I read a review that said there were a lot of reptiles and amphibians at the resort and that the people were afraid of alligators lurking in the bayou area. I'm guessing this was an overly dramatic review but I wanted to check with others. I've pretty much decided on POR but my daughter is afraid of reptiles/amphibians/bugs. Is this a big problem at Port Orleans Riverside?

 

[Recca135]

We just reserved 2 rooms here next August 10-15th. We haven't stayed at this resort since it was called Dixie Landings. I am over the moon excited for the trip! Now it's time to go back, read through the thread, and think of any questions I might have.

 

[andrewilley]

I read a review that said there were a lot of reptiles and amphibians at the resort and that the people were afraid of alligators lurking in the bayou area. I'm guessing this was an overly dramatic review but I wanted to check with others. I've pretty much decided on POR but my daughter is afraid of reptiles/amphibians/bugs. Is this a big problem at Port Orleans Riverside?

Alligators are no more of an issue than anywhere else in Disney (so not impossible, but not very likely and would be dealt with immediately if one was spotted near public areas). However small lizards (max a couple of inches long), frogs, rabbits, squirrels, etc are quite common and you should be prepared to see them on walkways and in the vegetation areas. So yes, technically there are "reptiles and amphibians" around, but nothing big or to be worried about.

Andre

 

[REEREEG]

Alligators are no more of an issue than anywhere else in Disney (so not impossible, but not very likely and would be dealt with immediately if one was spotted near public areas). However small lizards (max a couple of inches long), frogs, rabbits, squirrels, etc are quite common and you should be prepared to see them on walkways and in the vegetation areas. So yes, technically there are "reptiles and amphibians" around, but nothing big or to be worried about.

Andre

Thanks - I know it's a silly question - I just don't want to listen to screaming if she seems a snake or lizard ;-)

I guess I am a little afraid of the alligator part as far as the pirate adventure oat ride for kids goes... The photos of those boats make it look like the kids could be pretty close to the water!

 

[Koz]

Good morning. Can someone please tell me if they sell the boring, single color magic bands at the POR gift shop? I need to purchase some and if I can buy them in person to avoid paying shipping I will.

Thank you!

 

[awalker1015]

I read a review that said there were a lot of reptiles and amphibians at the resort and that the people were afraid of alligators lurking in the bayou area. I'm guessing this was an overly dramatic review but I wanted to check with others. I've pretty much decided on POR but my daughter is afraid of reptiles/amphibians/bugs. Is this a big problem at Port Orleans Riverside?

I vote over exaggeration but as far as small reptiles and animals, we saw plenty of lizards and rabbits last trip. Lizards were small and fast. No gator sightings.

 

[andrewilley]

Good morning. Can someone please tell me if they sell the boring, single color magic bands at the POR gift shop? I need to purchase some and if I can buy them in person to avoid paying shipping I will.

You get them for free when you check in.

Andre

 

[CatPack]

Will be staying at POR likely March 1-4. Traveling with my mom and this will be both of our first time staying on property. Were orginally thinking of booking a Royal Room river view, but recently received information regarding a deal where we would save about $400+ than when compared to the PSD or RO offers for the Spring. However, this new offer would meaning getting a standard room. My mom and I do not mind walking and I know there are mixed reviews about paying for a particular view in a moderate or value resort. With our trip being short, we won't really be spending too much time in the room...maybe a short mid-day break and then back at night to sleep. I also know that this choice ultimately comes down to preference, but, those that have stayed, what would you do?

Also, worst case scenario, what would the estimated walk time be to dining if we got a room furthest from Riverside Mill?

 

[BStew]

35 days til our first stay at POR!! Can not express how excited we are!! We have a garden view RR and three standard rooms (for extended family) booked (hey, we need a little space!). Just had to share the excitement!

 

[CJK]

Back from a stay at POR. It was our 3rd time staying there. We enjoyed ourselves, but it wasn't perfect.

The good:
- Beautiful hotel grounds
- Enjoyed our meals in the food court. Dh likes getting ice cream sundaes for dessert! The magic bar was as tasty as ever. We never had any trouble finding a table.
- Bob Jackson was terrific as always.
- We really enjoy the general feel of the resort and enjoy wandering around and taking in the outdoor movie, watching the horse & carriage, etc...
- We absolutely love taking the boat to Disney Springs and found the boat captains to be warm and inviting. This is our favorite part about staying at POR or POFQ.

The not so good:
- Housekeeping was pretty disappointing. They didn't come until 2pm at the earliest everyday (no matter how early we left in the morning), so we often came back to an unmade room, mid-afternoon. The room was never cleaned well. A bobby-pin was on the floor from our arrival day to departure day. The glasses were never cleaned well, and it was hit or miss whether we would get shampoo/conditioner each day. I thought they'd replenish it everyday, but that wasn't our experience.
- The small pool in AB was getting all the gates installed along the fence during our stay. Each time we tried to swim in that pool, the construction noise was really loud. Just bad timing on our part.
- Like our friends, we had paid for a garden view room, but we think that from our room you could see more parking lot than garden. I'd never book a garden view room again, and stick with standard if that's the kind of view we'd get.
- Boatwright's was disappointing. It was our first time eating there, and it wasn't great. Jambalaya was overcooked and dh's steak with asparagus was undercooked. The asparagus hadn't been cleaned properly either. Glad we tried it, but we prefer the table service restaurants at the other moderate resorts better.
- We used the North depot bus stop, and the TV monitor which shows the wait time for buses never worked (screen was black). I did see it running at other bus stops. We only used the bus twice and both times we waited 20 minutes. We were waiting for a DHS bus one day, and saw every other bus come once and THREE AK buses! When coming home from DHS one night, we stopped at POFQ first. I didn't think that happened during peak times. We decided to drive our car from then on. We have found that we've had negative bus experiences at POR, CBR and CSR. I think it's just the nature of the the larger moderate resorts

Final thoughts:
We truly did enjoy our stay. We don't have a favorite moderate hotel, and like to rotate between all of them. I think they all offer something appealing, including different theming. The negatives I mentioned above, could (and have) happened at other hotels too, so it's probably just luck of the draw.

Looking forward to our next stay at CSR next, but we'll be back to POR on our usual rotation!

 

[disneymom0104]

Does every bus stop at POR have the monitors that tell you when you can expect the next bus to your destination?

I believe they all do, however I found them to be 100% inaccurate. And the times change constantly. We had a CM tell us that it updates when another bus leaves the center and is activated as being on WDW property. Many times there were no times showing, and when they were they were never right.