SeaSpray
Disney World fan since 1976
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2001
Just a little warning, the below comments are long and drawn out (lol) and are my personal opinions and not meant to debate or argue with anyone else:
Hi everyone
I've had a ton of emails from people asking me if I still prefer the Polynesian resort, since I've recently gotten back from Port Orleans Riverside and have given it a thumbs-up. And is the price difference "worth it"??
Well I purposely did not try to compare POR to the Polynesian because I feel there is no comparison and it wouldn't be fair to the POR to do so. However, since so many people have come right out and asked, I thought I'd post my opinions all in one place, and not in my POR thread.
I'll start right out by saying "I've found my 'happy place' and it's at the Polynesian resort".
Seriously! LOL On my second to last day we had breakfast at the Kona Cafe (I got the awesome pineapple-macadamia pancakes), and then that was to be our day that my girlfriend and I (yay for a girls-only trip! lol) were going to go our separate ways for the afternoon; she LOVES AK and I LOVE MK. As we ate breakfast I found myself getting very impatient to just get outside at the Polynesian....
I took my time walking through the lobby...I snapped a lot of pictures of the waterfall and some of the newer seating arrangements that were added since my last stay there 6 months ago...
Then instead of taking the monorail over to the MK like I had originally intended to, I decided to walk out the back and take the boat instead.
As I walked towards the volcano pool, I saw the new "lava" that was added to the top and snapped a picture of that... then I felt it; a little difficult to describe, but just one of those "ahhh, I'm HOME" feelings...
I slowly walked towards the beach and I wanted to relax on a chaise lounge for a while and absorb some of the rays... but since I wasn't staying there on this trip I sat in a regular chair near the pool bar instead (this area was entirely empty). I turned the chair to face the sun, closed my eyes, and felt relaxation as I hadn't felt in a LONG time... the sun on my skin...the sounds from the Magic Kingdom... the boats/ferries... the waterfall from the volcano pool... people/kids talking and laughing.... This feeling will never be duplicated at any other resort, so like I said, it'd be totally unfair to try and make comparisons.
After about 15-20 minutes I took the boat to the MK and that was that. lol
Anyway...where was I? Oh yeah....comparing POR to the Polynesian....lol... (kind of got lost in the memories of the Polynesian beach. lol).
So all of that said, I have to say that Port Orleans Riverside genuinely surprised me; I did not expect such a beautifully themed resort, such impeccibly kept, beautiful and full landscaping, the attention to detail, etc. I guess I had forgotten that when Disney does something, they do it right.
I absolutely missed being on the monorail and being close to the TTC for the Epcot monorail. I have rheumatoid arthritis and unfortunately I suffered the effects of it last week, even though I had tried to take it easy. It would've been great to be able to take the boat back to the resort in the middle of the day to relax for an hour, or for a short swim. At the Polynesian, that's not an issue, but knowing I'd have to walk to the bus stop, wait for the next bus (bus service at POR was excellent, by the way!) then get back to my room, change, and walk to the pool area, just wasn't worth the time or effort required, so I only swam once on this trip. When we stay at the Polynesian I do this on a daily basis. And often times, at night too. Another thing, in all honesty, the pool at POR didn't thrill me at all, so I really didn't have much of a desire to put all of the time and effort into getting back to the resort during the day. Just the opposite is true for the Polynesian; I LOVE being in the pool area there, and any time or effort to get there is worth it.
So as far as the logistics are concerned, then I absolutely vote for the Polynesian. For someone like me who has walking problems, and who spends most of their time at MK and Epcot, you can't beat the monorail.
As far as theming is concerned, I feel that POR is just as themed (albeit a totally different theme!) as the Polynesian is. Yes the Polynesian is a deluxe with new flat panel tv's, etc, but as far as actual theming goes, it's a tie.
Now for the question, is the price difference worth it? To ME (again, due to my health issues and due to what *I* like to do while at WDW), I'd say YES, what I pay for the convenience, location, and atmosphere at the Polynesian is well worth it. And this past trip only makes me realize that even more so. As much as I loved POR, I really missed the Polynesian for all of the above reasons.
If I did not have the issues that I have, then I'd say that POR would win the "value for cost" factor. I strongly believe that the moderate resorts at WDW give you the biggest bang for your buck. Period.
As for the rooms themselves, I'd give this a tie, with the exception of the fact that the rooms (well, most of them anyway) at the Polynesian have balconies or patios. Both resorts' rooms are very nicely themed to the resort, both resorts had very clean rooms, and I had no problems or issues at all with housekeeping at either resort.
Restaurant: The Polynesian resort has my all-time favorite restaurant on premises, so there's no contest, HOWEVER, I really enjoyed the food court at POR, and I dislike Captain Cooks at the Polynesian. In all fairness, I haven't tried the new Captain Cooks, so maybe I'd feel differently now.
The POR food court was very well laid-out; you got your food choices from the different areas, then when you were done you went to a cashier (all of this was very close together, which I thought was good), and POR food court has a TON of great seating; there are 3 long walls with tables and chairs alongside, so you could often get a view of the river while you ate. It also offered some nice outdoor seating by the river.
If you're a family that enjoys the food courts, you'll like the one at POR. I'm not a fan of food courts and I liked it If you like sit-down restaurants, I highly recommend the Kona Cafe for all 3 meals.
I think that's all I have to say for now... I've been typing and rambling so I can't remember if there were any more points I wanted to make... I think I covered everything.
Any questions, please ask
Hi everyone
I've had a ton of emails from people asking me if I still prefer the Polynesian resort, since I've recently gotten back from Port Orleans Riverside and have given it a thumbs-up. And is the price difference "worth it"??
Well I purposely did not try to compare POR to the Polynesian because I feel there is no comparison and it wouldn't be fair to the POR to do so. However, since so many people have come right out and asked, I thought I'd post my opinions all in one place, and not in my POR thread.
I'll start right out by saying "I've found my 'happy place' and it's at the Polynesian resort".
Seriously! LOL On my second to last day we had breakfast at the Kona Cafe (I got the awesome pineapple-macadamia pancakes), and then that was to be our day that my girlfriend and I (yay for a girls-only trip! lol) were going to go our separate ways for the afternoon; she LOVES AK and I LOVE MK. As we ate breakfast I found myself getting very impatient to just get outside at the Polynesian....
I took my time walking through the lobby...I snapped a lot of pictures of the waterfall and some of the newer seating arrangements that were added since my last stay there 6 months ago...
Then instead of taking the monorail over to the MK like I had originally intended to, I decided to walk out the back and take the boat instead.
As I walked towards the volcano pool, I saw the new "lava" that was added to the top and snapped a picture of that... then I felt it; a little difficult to describe, but just one of those "ahhh, I'm HOME" feelings...
I slowly walked towards the beach and I wanted to relax on a chaise lounge for a while and absorb some of the rays... but since I wasn't staying there on this trip I sat in a regular chair near the pool bar instead (this area was entirely empty). I turned the chair to face the sun, closed my eyes, and felt relaxation as I hadn't felt in a LONG time... the sun on my skin...the sounds from the Magic Kingdom... the boats/ferries... the waterfall from the volcano pool... people/kids talking and laughing.... This feeling will never be duplicated at any other resort, so like I said, it'd be totally unfair to try and make comparisons.
After about 15-20 minutes I took the boat to the MK and that was that. lol
Anyway...where was I? Oh yeah....comparing POR to the Polynesian....lol... (kind of got lost in the memories of the Polynesian beach. lol).
So all of that said, I have to say that Port Orleans Riverside genuinely surprised me; I did not expect such a beautifully themed resort, such impeccibly kept, beautiful and full landscaping, the attention to detail, etc. I guess I had forgotten that when Disney does something, they do it right.
I absolutely missed being on the monorail and being close to the TTC for the Epcot monorail. I have rheumatoid arthritis and unfortunately I suffered the effects of it last week, even though I had tried to take it easy. It would've been great to be able to take the boat back to the resort in the middle of the day to relax for an hour, or for a short swim. At the Polynesian, that's not an issue, but knowing I'd have to walk to the bus stop, wait for the next bus (bus service at POR was excellent, by the way!) then get back to my room, change, and walk to the pool area, just wasn't worth the time or effort required, so I only swam once on this trip. When we stay at the Polynesian I do this on a daily basis. And often times, at night too. Another thing, in all honesty, the pool at POR didn't thrill me at all, so I really didn't have much of a desire to put all of the time and effort into getting back to the resort during the day. Just the opposite is true for the Polynesian; I LOVE being in the pool area there, and any time or effort to get there is worth it.
So as far as the logistics are concerned, then I absolutely vote for the Polynesian. For someone like me who has walking problems, and who spends most of their time at MK and Epcot, you can't beat the monorail.
As far as theming is concerned, I feel that POR is just as themed (albeit a totally different theme!) as the Polynesian is. Yes the Polynesian is a deluxe with new flat panel tv's, etc, but as far as actual theming goes, it's a tie.
Now for the question, is the price difference worth it? To ME (again, due to my health issues and due to what *I* like to do while at WDW), I'd say YES, what I pay for the convenience, location, and atmosphere at the Polynesian is well worth it. And this past trip only makes me realize that even more so. As much as I loved POR, I really missed the Polynesian for all of the above reasons.
If I did not have the issues that I have, then I'd say that POR would win the "value for cost" factor. I strongly believe that the moderate resorts at WDW give you the biggest bang for your buck. Period.
As for the rooms themselves, I'd give this a tie, with the exception of the fact that the rooms (well, most of them anyway) at the Polynesian have balconies or patios. Both resorts' rooms are very nicely themed to the resort, both resorts had very clean rooms, and I had no problems or issues at all with housekeeping at either resort.
Restaurant: The Polynesian resort has my all-time favorite restaurant on premises, so there's no contest, HOWEVER, I really enjoyed the food court at POR, and I dislike Captain Cooks at the Polynesian. In all fairness, I haven't tried the new Captain Cooks, so maybe I'd feel differently now.
The POR food court was very well laid-out; you got your food choices from the different areas, then when you were done you went to a cashier (all of this was very close together, which I thought was good), and POR food court has a TON of great seating; there are 3 long walls with tables and chairs alongside, so you could often get a view of the river while you ate. It also offered some nice outdoor seating by the river.
If you're a family that enjoys the food courts, you'll like the one at POR. I'm not a fan of food courts and I liked it If you like sit-down restaurants, I highly recommend the Kona Cafe for all 3 meals.
I think that's all I have to say for now... I've been typing and rambling so I can't remember if there were any more points I wanted to make... I think I covered everything.
Any questions, please ask