We have now stayed at all 4 Moderate resorts ~ Just back from POR!

[andrewilley]

i am hoping the pool not being heated was just a fluke, otherwise i don't think my ds 5 will brave it. we are not used to COLD waters!

All Disney hotel pools are heated to 82 degrees. Or at least they are meant to be, anyway.

Andre

 

[disnut1149]

Hi
Thanks for a great review and pictures! We're thinking of staying here in Oct. I was there when it was Dixie Landings a long time ago and really liked it then. I think my DGD (7) will love the slide. She would love to find a frog in our room!! Your boys are really cute!! It looks like you really had a great time.

 

[RedPanda]

Thanks for the review and pictures! We're staying at POR for part of our trip in March/April (it'll be the second half of our split stay, with the Doubletree at DTD the first half). It really looks like a beautiful resort -- I'm excited!

 

[wdwdasiy]

LOVE LOVE LOVE seeing all your pictures! PORS is our favorite and now the only place DH will stay. It sure feels like home when we are there. We have stayed in AB our last three trips and love that area. I'm planning our May/June trip now. Can't wait to get there!

Thank you so much for sharing

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Hi
Thanks for a great review and pictures! We're thinking of staying here in Oct. I was there when it was Dixie Landings a long time ago and really liked it then. I think my DGD (7) will love the slide. She would love to find a frog in our room!! Your boys are really cute!! It looks like you really had a great time.

You're welcome, thanks for reading!

Thanks for the review and pictures! We're staying at POR for part of our trip in March/April (it'll be the second half of our split stay, with the Doubletree at DTD the first half). It really looks like a beautiful resort -- I'm excited!

You are welcome! Have a great trip!

LOVE LOVE LOVE seeing all your pictures! PORS is our favorite and now the only place DH will stay. It sure feels like home when we are there. We have stayed in AB our last three trips and love that area. I'm planning our May/June trip now. Can't wait to get there!

Thank you so much for sharing

Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed the review and pics!

 

[Csaks]

I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!

A well written review of POR. We love Muddy Rivers, the Fishin' hole and Old-fashioned horse & carriage ride. The boat ride downtown doesn't seem as hectic as the bus ride. Heck the whole resort seems laid back and that is nice after a full day of Disney.

We are going back to POR in the last week of Oct, first week of Nov. this year.I love this place and reading seeing your pictures makes me what to be there now but now I'm starting to think about CBR because you think so highly of it. Na, maybe next trip.

We tried CSR last trip and were so disappointed with it, so we are scared to try something else. It was missing something, neither of us can put a finger on it. Nothing wrong with it, just something missing.

Thank you for taking the time to post this.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!

A well written review of POR. We love Muddy Rivers, the Fishin' hole and Old-fashioned horse & carriage ride. The boat ride downtown doesn't seem as hectic as the bus ride. Heck the whole resort seems laid back and that is nice after a full day of Disney.

We are going back to POR in the last week of Oct, first week of Nov. this year.I love this place and reading seeing your pictures makes me what to be there now but now I'm starting to think about CBR because you think so highly of it. Na, maybe next trip.

We tried CSR last trip and were so disappointed with it, so we are scared to try something else. It was missing something, neither of us can put a finger on it. Nothing wrong with it, just something missing.

Thank you for taking the time to post this.

Well, thank you. I think.

So glad you liked the review.

You should definitely give CBR a try sometime! But not until after you go back to your favorite POR first!

We had the same feelings about CSR. Very disappointed and we were afraid to try something new after that. That's why we went back to CBR before trying POR. Luckily we were very happy with POR!

 

[momof3lovebugs]

Shelley (I think, right? ) thank you so much for this review! I am planning our family's first trip for October and loved your details!
Our family is me, dh (6ft), dd9 and ds7. I noticed you brought an air mattress and used a trundle! I am scared to try any of the mods except CSR b/c of the bed situation. Dh and I sleep in a king and we have frequent 'nightime' visitors, if you catch my drift. Our ds is a VERY restless sleeper and I frequently get a smack in the face, back, etc from him so I am not looking fwd to being squished into a little bed. Double went out when we got married!!
So my question is did you use both beds and the mattress and trundle? You are obviously a petite little thing and maybe smaller beds are okay for you and dh? I am not a giant (5'4") however, I am not quite as, shall we say 'svelte' as you are!
Dh suggested we get a trundle and switch off one w/kid, one w/o, and a kid on trundle.....I told him it would be nice if we could actually sleep together on the trip!
The lanscaping here is making me rethink my strategy.....the Dolphin is in the running but so is CSR and WL if a discount comes out.....hadn't considered any other mods b/c of the beds.....
oh yes, do they charge for a trundle?

And the pool situation....hm, what was the average temp outside? We have found when it is blazing hot, it seems nicer to swim in an 82' pool, however, when it is more like 70-80 outside, not so much. Lots of the hotels and rv parks we have stayed in have their pools heated to about 82-85. Personally I prefer about 88!!!
What made you decide to switch over to okw instead of stay the whole time at por? Just curious....
thanks again for all your wonderful pics and details!! It has been helpful (and not so much! ) to consider more options!
Heather

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Shelley (I think, right? ) thank you so much for this review! I am planning our family's first trip for October and loved your details!
Our family is me, dh (6ft), dd9 and ds7. I noticed you brought an air mattress and used a trundle! I am scared to try any of the mods except CSR b/c of the bed situation. Dh and I sleep in a king and we have frequent 'nightime' visitors, if you catch my drift. Our ds is a VERY restless sleeper and I frequently get a smack in the face, back, etc from him so I am not looking fwd to being squished into a little bed. Double went out when we got married!!
So my question is did you use both beds and the mattress and trundle? You are obviously a petite little thing and maybe smaller beds are okay for you and dh? I am not a giant (5'4") however, I am not quite as, shall we say 'svelte' as you are!
Dh suggested we get a trundle and switch off one w/kid, one w/o, and a kid on trundle.....I told him it would be nice if we could actually sleep together on the trip!
The lanscaping here is making me rethink my strategy.....the Dolphin is in the running but so is CSR and WL if a discount comes out.....hadn't considered any other mods b/c of the beds.....
oh yes, do they charge for a trundle?

And the pool situation....hm, what was the average temp outside? We have found when it is blazing hot, it seems nicer to swim in an 82' pool, however, when it is more like 70-80 outside, not so much. Lots of the hotels and rv parks we have stayed in have their pools heated to about 82-85. Personally I prefer about 88!!!
What made you decide to switch over to okw instead of stay the whole time at por? Just curious....
thanks again for all your wonderful pics and details!! It has been helpful (and not so much! ) to consider more options!
Heather

Yep, it's Shelly!

Congrats on your first trip! I'm so glad you enjoyed the review.

As for sleeping arrangements while on vacation -- we get creative! When we have stayed at the other mods we take the air mattress and the kids rotate using it. One uses it and the other will use a sleeping bag, then switch the next night. It's like a little treat to them on vacation - yes, it takes very little to amuse my children! So yes, DH and I each have our own bed! We have a queen bed at home, and find no real difference in it and the doubles at the moderates. I measured the difference between the double at POR and the queen at OKW, and came up with about a 5 inch difference in the width. I didn't measure the length because we are not tall people. So maybe there's a difference there too. The reason for our own beds -- well the kids love to sleep on the air mattress and in a sleeping bag, so it just works out that we have that option. DH also snores. I deal with this at home every night. It's nothing terrible. But I do like my sleep on vacation! Gotta be well rested to navigate those parks!!

There is no extra charge for the trundle of POR, but you will need to request a room in the AB section. The Mansions do not have them. And there is no guarantee that you will get an AB room, they give them to families of 5 first. But your chances are probably pretty good.

Out of the 4 you are contemplating, I would go with POR or the Dolphin.

The reason we decided to switch over to OKW the last few nights was simply because we like trying new resorts and because we had a 40% off room discount!

Good luck to you. Please let me know if I can be anymore help to you!

 

[momof3lovebugs]

Shelly~thanks so much for your reply! I am enjoying your tr thread too!! I swear between planning and reading op's tr/pic threads etc...I am on the computer all day!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Shelly~thanks so much for your reply! I am enjoying your tr thread too!! I swear between planning and reading op's tr/pic threads etc...I am on the computer all day!!

You're welcome!

I know, the DIS is addicting!

 

[VroomVroomLightning]

We plan on staying at POR in September and I love all of your pictures! In your opinion what would be the best building to request so that we are closest to the main building and bus stop? Do you know if they have any king beds in the AB sections? Thank you for any insight you can give!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

We plan on staying at POR in September and I love all of your pictures! In your opinion what would be the best building to request so that we are closest to the main building and bus stop? Do you know if they have any king beds in the AB sections? Thank you for any insight you can give!!

Congrats on staying at POR in September!

The closet buildings to main building are AB 14 & 18. And I hear those are the most highly requested. So we requested to be in any of the following -- 14, 18, 26, or 27. And we were given 27. It was a great location. Definitely a less than 5 minute walk to the main building, the pool, and a bus stop.

I'm not sure about the king beds, but I think most (if not all) of the resorts have them in all of their sections. But then maybe the AB section is different because of it having the trundle beds. . . You might want to ask on the POR FAQ.

Hope that helps!

 

[crazycatlady]

This was a great review! I am trying to talk DH into staying on-site this year if they offer free dining again and so I am checking into all of the moderates, just in case. We stayed one night at CS about 8 yrs. ago and liked the pool a lot but I have heard a lot of negatives about that resort so am leaning towards either POR or CBR. We are driving to DW so the buses are not a factor, but is the parking situation at either resort better or worse than the other? How far away would you have parked from your room if you had driven? Was that a preferred view that you had? My kids will be 14 and 15 for this trip. Which is resort better for teens in your opinion? Is the water slide good for adults or mostly kiddies? (not that I am going down a slide or anything but DS is about 5'8" and will only be taller in 8 mos.) Could the trundle accommodate DD14 who is about 5'3" and 100 lbs.?

Thanks for any help you can give me and I will be looking for your trip report and pictures for CBR.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

This was a great review! I am trying to talk DH into staying on-site this year if they offer free dining again and so I am checking into all of the moderates, just in case. We stayed one night at CS about 8 yrs. ago and liked the pool a lot but I have heard a lot of negatives about that resort so am leaning towards either POR or CBR. We are driving to DW so the buses are not a factor, but is the parking situation at either resort better or worse than the other? How far away would you have parked from your room if you had driven? Was that a preferred view that you had? My kids will be 14 and 15 for this trip. Which is resort better for teens in your opinion? Is the water slide good for adults or mostly kiddies? (not that I am going down a slide or anything but DS is about 5'8" and will only be taller in 8 mos.) Could the trundle accommodate DD14 who is about 5'3" and 100 lbs.?

Thanks for any help you can give me and I will be looking for your trip report and pictures for CBR.

Hi there Glad you enjoyed the review!

CBR and POR are our favorites, so you've narrowed it down to 2 great choices! You really can't go wrong with either. We would definitely recommend both, but I will try to answer your questions and help you out the best I can.

No, our room at POR was a standard room. POR doesn't offer preferred rooms. Only CBR does. Preferred will get you right next to the main building at CBR. Both offer a water view option. Preferred at CBR and waterview at either will cost you extra per night. $25 I think. We never pay for either.

As for parking, I think they both have rooms close to parking. You can take a look at the maps and see what you think. I would say that CBR has more buildings closer to parking. You can always make that a request when you book -- to be close to the parking lot.

POR map http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/port-riverside.htm

CBR map http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/cbrmap.htm

Hard to say which resort is better for teens. My oldest is almost 11. He goes back and forth on his favorite between these 2 resorts. He really likes POR for Piano Bob. He had a blast there! But lately he keeps asking to go back to CBR - "because they have the best pool". So it's a toss up. CBR's rooms are Disney themed, so I guess it depends on your kids. Some teenagers might think they are "too cool" for that. Mine never will!! Both resorts are very spacious and beautiful and have lots to do. And both have great food options -- probably a good thing with teenagers!

The trundle bed. . . hmm. . . 5'3" might be okay. I'd say it would be right on the border. Probably wouldn't work if she got much bigger between now and then. You can always do what we do and take a twin sized air mattress with you!

Hope that helps!

 

[crazycatlady]

Thank you so much for answering my questions. I really liked the view from your room. I don't need a GREAT view, just would prefer not to look at a parking lot. I don't really want to pay for a view, either.

The same goes for a walk to the parking lot. I don't need to be super close (especially since I don't want one for a view), I just don't want to walk 10 or 15 minutes with all of our luggage.

Both resorts look really nice and I'm sure we would be happy with either. Thanks again for all of your help!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

You're welcome!

 

[Kelsey In Wonderland]

This may seem like an odd question, but I noticed that in one of your photos there was a microwave available for use in the food court.. does anyone happen to know if the microwave is available for use 24/7 or only during the operating hours of the food court?

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

This may seem like an odd question, but I noticed that in one of your photos there was a microwave available for use in the food court.. does anyone happen to know if the microwave is available for use 24/7 or only during the operating hours of the food court?

Hmm. . . I really don't know. I think the foodcourt is open from 6am to midnight. I don't know if they lock the doors between midnight and 6am or not (I wouldn't think so) . . . You could ask on the POR FAQ, someone might know there.

 

[1Prince3Princesses]

Hi! I read this to see what other people thought of POR since that is our favorite resort. We stay there 2-3 times a year and usually it is always in the AB. My kids LOVE it. I had to make a comment on the Frog since we stay there all the time and have encountered MANY frogs and other critters there. My kids actually LOOK for the frogs every night. You will almost always see them on the wall up high right next to the lights outside your room doors. Here is the reason, when it gets dark, those lights come on and attract the bugs. The frogs sit next to the lights and feast on those bugs. My kids look for them every night when heading back to the room. It is very cute outside, but I would not like to find one in my room either. I travel there alot without my husband since he does not love Disney as much as the rest of us do. He joined us about 2 years ago and the kids were showing him the frogs and telling him to look for them. Up until that point, I never gave it much thought, then he explained to the kids the whole light and bug thing. So, since he decided to join us on that trip, I realized why there are so many frogs there.