Opinions of POR???

[itsagirlthing]

Hi everyone! Anyone have any opinions to share of Port Orleans Riverside? We were planning to stay at one of the AS's but POR is only a little more $ and it looks like the bus rides are shorter?

 

[dani1121]

I'm interested too............we wanted to stay at POFQ, but it is booked for our stay so we booked POR and will keep checking for cancelations at FQ I guess.......any info about POR would be great.......thanks!!!

 

[itsagirlthing]

So you're from Illinois too...I guess you are tired of this weather also???!!! When are you going to WDW??

 

[PollyannaMom]

We stayed at POR last May and LOVED it! The buses were fine, there was a TS restaurant right there that we really liked, and you can use any of the pools - including the FQ one with the serpant slide.

If you are planning a "down day", you can also rent a surry bike and explore the resort, which we liked so much we did twice. AND there is a boat shuttle to Downtown Disney.

Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.

 

[susykt4]

We've stayed at POR, Pop and ASMu.

While POR is beautiful and quiet, it is also HUGE!!!! It also shares buses with POFQ so for most parks there are five bus stops. We used strollers for our then ages 4 and 2 kids just to get around the resort. No question that it was nice to have a slightly larger room, the curtain between the bathroom and bedroom area and a fridge.

With our younger kids (now 6 and 4) we prefer Pop Century. There is only one bus stop- so even if it is a longer trip you don't have to wait for the loooong drive around the resort. The rooms are slightly smaller but with much less furniture there is more floor space. The theming is wonderful for kids and all the themed pools and the Goofy fountain are awesome! The food courts are pretty similar but Pop has slushies on their drink bar. One other major thing (and I'm sure I'll get flamed) is that Pop has way fewer seniors with ECVs than POR. I don't think we ever got on a bus at POR without having to wait for at least one ECV to be loaded. I LOVE the Pop bus service compared to POR.

The only major difference other than theming I can think of between Pop and ASMusic was that again we had to make stops at all three all star resorts making for longer trips and more crowded buses. (I think at peak times they did run individual buses- especially to MK.) We also way preferred Pop's theming.

I'd definitely go back to both POR (when the kids are older or without kids) and Pop, but would probably not do ASMusic again because we like Pop so much better. I think with younger kids the values are the way to go!

 

[fireman17]

Our fourth trip to WDW was this past December and we stay at POR for the first time and I loved it. We also did the DCL and on our return we stayed at SOG (I'm a federal firefighter), let me tell you did I want to go back to POR right then and there.
The rooms were nice to accommodate all five of us, our youngest DS 3 slept in the trundle bed and he couldn't wait to go to bed every night because as he said he was sleeping on the floor. There was so much to do there boat rides, bike rides or just walk the grounds to relax.
We have just booked another trip for August and will be staying at POR for eight nights and I can't wait to get back there. We are planning a do nothing day on the Saturday we are there. We're planning on swimming, a boat ride for both kids and also a bike ride then a nice dinner at Boatwrights that evening and a late walk around the resort.
In my opinion I would stay at POR and maybe your next trip do POFQ.

 

[toystorymom]

We have stayed at Pop, Movies, Sports, and most recently Port Orleans Riverside.

Riverside was beautiful, very peaceful, but I would stress what the other poster said about it being HUGE. There were 4 bus stops just for this one hotel. We had a nice location so that it wasn't too long of a walk to the food court or main bus stop. Guests staying way out by those far bus stops though, I wonder how often they walk to the food court, arcade, gift shop, etc. I like to be close enough to go back and forth.

It really depends on your family, age of children, etc. If you think you would take advantage of the bike rentals, fishing, boat rides, sit down restaurant, nature walks, boat to Downtown Disney, etc then POR is a great choice. The All Stars and POP are much more colorful and so much fun for young children. The theming is great at all of them, personal choice which is a favorite. I didn't notice too much difference between the bus services at the values and POR, although as mentioned POP doesn't share like the All Stars sometimes do.

You'll have a great time wherever you decide to stay. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[dani1121]

Thanks everyone for all the replies............it's a tough decision to make, and you want to feel like you are making the right one .......In anycase, all of the info is appreciated.........Itsagirlthing, we are going the first week of june.........5th-9th.........where in IL are you from??? I am so sick of the snow right now, I can't wait for it all to melt!!!!

Thanks again guys!!!!

 

[itsagirlthing]

Hey dani1121, i live in Carrollton, il...small rural town...what about you? We are planning a last minute trip to WDW for March 5-10. I so need to get away from this cold...cabin fever is driving me CRAZY!!!!!!!!

 

[yogi]

One other perk you might like about POR is that you can take the boat to Downtown Disney.

Beware of the the winding walkways. They might dis-oriant you. My wife always had problems finding the room and would've been lost if the boys didn't show her the way.

It is a beautiful resort though!

 

[weeluvdisney]

We stayed at POR last year in May. It is a beautiful resort. The lush tropical landscape is beautiful. We saw alot of ducks and baby bunnies. We rode the bus to downtown disney which is free and also rented a boat for 1/2 an hour and rented the surrey bike to ride around the resort and that was fun too. It's a charming place. It is big but we actually enjoyed the 5 minute walk to the food court because the scenery is so great to look at.

 

[an_evans]

We loved POR! We are family of five and it was great!

We stayed in the Alligator Bayou and our toddler slept on the trundle bed. We loved the food court and boatworks. The boat ride to Downtown disney was really nice.

It is huge and very beautiful. I never figured out how to get directly from the food court to our room...always lost.

 

[lynnemo]

We love POR! Just got back from a quick trip on 2/13. The boat to DTD is great and I never felt like the walk to the food court, etc was that long as the grounds are so beautiful. There are 5 quiet pools and a themed pool with a slide. You can also use the themed pool at POFQ.

 

[lynnemo]

Also, on our last trip many times the busses going to the parks only stopped at the main bus stop and then headed out. If you're at the parks at closing they often have seperate busses going back to POR & POFQ.

 

[dani1121]

Wow, it sure sounds like we made the right decision......... ......all these positive comments are making my mind more at ease!!!

itsagirlthing: I am in Danville, IL.......about 30 miles east of Champign/Urbana
I am sooooooooooo ready for June let me tell ya!!!!!

 

[itsagirlthing]

dani1121,

I know where danville is...we actually bought our house from a family who moved out of it because they were moving to danville! well, we pulled it off, i guess...we booked our trip yesterday and we are going to WDW in exactly two weeks! We ended up deciding to stay at POP Century...decided that since we are going to go back in Jan 08 (squeeze in one more trip while DD #3 is still free!) that we should go as inexpensive as possible this time. We saved $300 by staying at POP...not that that is a ton, but it will help! We got a great air fare which also helps. I am kinda freaking out now...two weeks to plan the details, dig out spring clothes (maybe even buy a few new!) and pack! We are so CRAZY!! Can't wait though!