My trip report is going to read a lot like firstwdw's (just longer).
First & foremost, thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread - especially Andre & Venom. Your tips, suggestions and feedback helped immensely. And Andre, your portorleans.org site was an invaluable resource.
Our trip was Fri, April 26 - Sat, May 4. Magical Express & check-in were a breeze. We were placed in Bldg. 24, Room 2460 - about as far away from the main bldg. as you can get (no biggie, as we're brisk walkers and we brought a stroller for our 6 year-old). Our room was very close to the West Bus Depot, however, which proved to be important. Plus, we were given a 2nd floor corner room with a direct view of our quiet pool for no additional charge, so we were more than satisfied with the room location.
The rooms are very cute. They are themed pefectly with the resort. This was our 1st time staying in a moderate (previously we've stayed either at a deluxe or off-site), so we knew the space was going to be a little tighter. There were just 3 of us, but there still wasn't enough storage space for our clothes/luggage. We put away what we could and lived out of suitcases with the rest. That would probably be my only complaint about the room (the size), otherwise it was great. It was quiet, clean and mousekeeping did a fine job.
The resort is beautiful and HUGE. I knew to expect a sprawling resort, but I guess I didn't realize how many winding pathways make up the place. But the pathways are part of the charm of the resort. They do an excellent job maintaining the landscape and really setting the theme of both areas of the resort (Alligator Bayou & Magnolia Bend). The resort lends itself to picture-taking as it really is gorgeous.
The main building (lobby, food court, etc.) was attractive, clean and well-maintained, but I would suggest going to the food court at off-times, as it gets jam-packed busy during conventional meal times (especially breakfast).
The pool was great (water temp was kept very comfortable) and our daughter loved the waterslide. She even participated in a "dance party" the lifeguards & pool crew had one afternoon. The pool bar was a nice respite and the cocktails were tasty. Again, I would recommend going to the pool during off-times, as it seemed to get very crowded between 11 - 3.
As for the buses, as firstwdw said, they were a bit of a mixed bag. We had to wait 25+ minutes 2 times, but almost every other bus we took arrived in under 10 minutes. (We probably took a total of 10 buses from the resort). Nearly every bus we were on was packed-to-the-gills standing room only. That's where being near the West Depot helped. The West Depot was actually the FIRST stop for most of the buses. They would pick up at the West Depot, then move on to the North Depot, East Depot, South Depot and sometimes the French Quarter before heading to the parks. On the way back from the parks, they would drop off at French Quarter first, then 50% of the time drop off at the South Depot first (South-West-North-East) and the other 50% of the time drop off at the West Depot first (West-North-East-South). So the West Depot seemed to be the optimal Depot to ensure a spot on the way to the parks. If you're a healthy man under the age of 60, expect to stand on the bus - unless you're heading to HS or AK at an off-hour, they WILL be full.
Weather was also a mixed bag while we were there. The first 4 days were hot & sunny, then it mostly rained for a few days, then the last 2 days were a mix of sun, clouds & rain. One funny story to share - on Mon, 4/29 we took the boat from POR to Downtown Disney for dinner. While we were at dinner, it sprinkled a bit, so after dinner I jogged down to the dock to see if the boat service was still running - it was. So we hopped on the boat for our 20-25 minute ride back to POR. As soon as we left the dock it started raining. The light rain turned into a steady rain, and within 10 minutes is was a torrential downpour. Then the wind starting picking up and the rain started coming in from (seemingly) all sides. THEN the lightning arrived. The boat had to pull into the French Quarter dock and suspend service - so everyone staying at POR was stuck on the dock at the French Quarter, wondering where the main building was (or if anyone was going to save us) as the storm raged on. We were joking that Disney was giving us the authentic New Orleans experience (where are you, FEMA?). It was raining so hard, so quickly, that you could see water going into some of the ground-floor rooms of the resort. Eventually we figured out where the Main building was and sprinted for it. Once we got to the lobby a POFQ cast member called over to POR and they sent a van to pick us up. As we said while we were sopping wet in the POFQ lobby - this is something we'll look back and laugh about after our trip.
Feel free to shoot away with any questions. Oh, I almost forgot, Magical Express going BACK to the airport was a bit lengthy, as POR was the 1st of SEVERAL stops on the way to MCO (POR then POFQ then Old Key West then Saratoga Springs then MCO). We were on the bus for almost an hour before we actually left WDW property. And every last seat on that bus was filled (Sat, 5/4 4:30 pick up).