Will I be happy with POR?

[leeann32]

I've been to Disney twice so far, first time was to the Poly, second time was to the Beach Club. I loved the convenience of these 2 resorts!
Me and my fiancé will be getting married at the Poly in January and I'm thinking about staying at a moderate for our honeymoon to save some $$$.
I walked around CSR and really thought it was pretty, but it seemed so far away from the parks, and not a lot of "Disney feel"
POR looks so romantic, and we'll save $1800 if we stay at a moderate.
Not sure if convienence is really with $1800? That's almost enough to pay for another trip!
So please help me decide! Tell me how much I'd love a moderate resort!!!

 

[MatzoRella]

My honest opinion (having stayed at POR and a bunch of deluxes): POR is very nice in its own right, but it won't compare to the deluxe experience. If you decide to stay there to save money (thereby proving yourself to be saner than I), don't compare it with other WDW hotels. Enjoy it as if it were the only hotel at WDW, and you will appreciate all that is delightful and beautiful about it.

 

[leeann32]

My honest opinion (having stayed at POR and a bunch of deluxes): POR is very nice in its own right, but it won't compare to the deluxe experience. If you decide to stay there to save money (thereby proving yourself to be saner than I), don't compare it with other WDW hotels. Enjoy it as if it were the only hotel at WDW, and you will appreciate all that is delightful and beautiful about it.

That's what I was afraid of, I know I'm going to compare it to the deluxes. That's why I'm having such a hard time deciding where to stay

 

[myjourney]

Get the river view at POR. I like it just as much as the deluxe resorts and that is a lot of money you could spend elsewhere. If you really cannot decide then maybe you can do a split stay

 

[mickeynut1]

That's a tough choice as $1800 is a lot of money. We haven't stayed at POR, but we have stayed at 1 moderate (CBR), and while we loved the resort and had an awesome stay, once we tried a deluxe, we haven't stayed anything since. We've stayed at all of the deluxes except 3 and for us, the convenience is hard to beat. But with that said, I have read rave reviews about POR and have seen pics and it looks like a fabulous resort. I agree with the pp that if you choose POR, try not to compare it with a deluxe because even though the moderates are great resorts, there really is no comparison, IMO. Good luck deciding and congratulations on your upcoming wedding .

 

[mb187143]

For what it's worth - and this is only my opinion so take it with a grain of salt - my Fiance and I just returned on Wednesday from POR, and we HATED the resort. I've been to Disney many, many times, and have stayed multiple times at the CBR, POFQ, CSR, and have loved all of them. My DF and I stayed at the AKL last September and then at the Poly in February. We're going back in November, but changed our reservation to the CBR, because we just did not enjoy this resort at all. Our biggest problem was our room - we had a river view room in Parterre Place, and we were close to NOTHING. I get it, it's a spread out resort, but we were close to nothing. No bus stops, not the quiet pool, main pool, lobby, anything. Which is fine for some people, just not for us. We couldn't change rooms because the resort was completely full, so we made the best of it. The bus service from the MK was so bad we took the bus to POFQ at night and walked back along the river. We were in one of the magnolia bend mansions that hasn't been updated yet so the room was dated, which i expected, and I'm ok with it, but it felt cramped because of the large TV unit and we just really didn't enjoy this particular resort. Walking through POFQ, I wished we had booked there, it's one of my favorites. Again, some of those issues we had might not matter to you - the grounds are beautiful, and perfect for a nice romantic stroll. We didn't attempt the madhouse that was the food court in the AM, so I can't speak to that either. And I know many many people love this resort. It just wasn't for us.

 

[janabananas]

I think the idea of a split between POLY and POR might be a great way to do it. If I was in your shoes, after the wedding, spend a few nights at POLY and then for the rest of it go to POR, and be sure to ask for a riverview in a mansion, maybe Magnolia Terrace or Acadian House. They are so beautiful!!

 

[autismgoesdisney]

For what it's worth - and this is only my opinion so take it with a grain of salt - my Fiance and I just returned on Wednesday from POR, and we HATED the resort. I've been to Disney many, many times, and have stayed multiple times at the CBR, POFQ, CSR, and have loved all of them. My DF and I stayed at the AKL last September and then at the Poly in February. We're going back in November, but changed our reservation to the CBR, because we just did not enjoy this resort at all. Our biggest problem was our room - we had a river view room in Parterre Place, and we were close to NOTHING. I get it, it's a spread out resort, but we were close to nothing. No bus stops, not the quiet pool, main pool, lobby, anything. Which is fine for some people, just not for us. We couldn't change rooms because the resort was completely full, so we made the best of it. The bus service from the MK was so bad we took the bus to POFQ at night and walked back along the river. We were in one of the magnolia bend mansions that hasn't been updated yet so the room was dated, which i expected, and I'm ok with it, but it felt cramped because of the large TV unit and we just really didn't enjoy this particular resort. Walking through POFQ, I wished we had booked there, it's one of my favorites. Again, some of those issues we had might not matter to you - the grounds are beautiful, and perfect for a nice romantic stroll. We didn't attempt the madhouse that was the food court in the AM, so I can't speak to that either. And I know many many people love this resort. It just wasn't for us.

Seems like you and I had a similar situation. What week were you there? I was there the end of August/beginning of Sept, and while we had no issue with the room location (we were in AB), we did have some issues with the bus and also the food court. The buses were ridiculous -- absolutely packed and we waited many times over a half hour! The other issue was the food court was a MAD HOUSE in the morning. OMG! The lines were out of control. We had only stayed at POP and AllStar Sports before so we weren't sure if it was moderates or if it was the one we stayed at. The parks weren't even as busy as POR was!

 

[Darkside]

Not a fan of PO River Side or FQ. I have spent a good bit of time in New Orleans and I just think Disney missed something here. Unfortunately, to me there just seems to be a bigger gap between the moderate to deluxe resorts versus the values to the moderates. Just my opinion.

 

[vacationclub]

We stayed at Dixie Landings, uh, I mean POR as it's now called, many times over the years and loved it. But, we eventually out-grew it and bought DVC. One year I had some business in Melbourne, FL, so decided to stay a few extra days, flew my wife down to meet me in Orlando at the end of the job. Since it was last minute I didn't want to spend the bucks or blow some points for SSR or whatever we had become used to. We stayed at our old favorite POR. While it was nice we really, really missed what we had become used to, mostly room size. So take my experience for what it's worth. Once you get a taste....it's hard to adjust.

 

[#1SonofMIannie]

Last stayed @ POR in 2000. Stayed @ CBR in Oct 2001 for Honeymoon and thought we'd try something new. Wished we had gone back to POR. Love the atmosphere, and for some reason it seems tranquil there. Have visited many times the last few years, mainly to eat lunches and head back to SSR by boat during our "quite times" on vacation. My mother has always said that if POR were a DVC property, she'd plunk down the money in a heartbeat. POR gets my vote!

 

[winniedapooh]

Almost 26 years ago when we were trying to decide between WDW and Jamaica for a honeymoon, my boss imparted a bit of wisdom into me. She told me I could go to WDW anytime, but when would I be able to get out of the country on a trip like that again?

We chose Jamaica and have never been out of the country again, unless you count the WS at EPCOT...27 times!!! I say you go deluxe for your honeymoon and scrimp somewhere else...you can always stay at POR for another trip...and BTW, we love POFQ!

 

[dimndgal1]

If you're really not enthused about POR, it's going to weigh on your mind and affect your trip -- self-fulfilling prophecy and all.

Have you considered trying to rent DVC points? You could get a nice studio at BLT or BWI and still have the 'deluxe' feel.

Or maybe cutting a day or two off your HM and staying at a deluxe? It might be a shorter trip but you won't be comparing in your head the whole time.

For me, $1800 is a lot of money and I'd have a hard time justifying spending that much more for a bed if I'm going to be in the parks most of the day. But, I do know how certain decisions can weight on you and for your HM, you want the best you can get.

 

[MinnieTink]

I have not yet stayed at POR... A lot of people seem to love it. I hope we will too... It's the cheapest option for our family of 5.

I am thinking tho, for a honeymoon, I would look elsewhere. $1800 is a lot of money tho. Have you considered checking out either Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge? Both are deluxe with a price that is in between mod and other deluxes like Poly.

 

[jupers]

My 2 cents...we stayed at POFQ for our honeymoon. It was fine but didn't know what we were doing...I really recommend splurging on the honeymoon. Life gets in the way and as much as you think you will, you will probably never feel as justified again for a vacation.

 

[Tricia's mom]

POFQ would be a better honeymoon spot. its small and quiet and recently re done. No sit down restaurant BUT a great boat ride to DTD. $1,800 is alot of money and could be another trip Even if just for a weekend.

I have also stayed at POR in AB and I liked it alot ! It was quiet. We were far from the main pool BUT that was OK because it was very crowded anyway. A bit of a walk to the bus stop... but I DON"T do the Disney bus thing... I alwasy rent a car...its a time saver for me.
I have only ever stayed at the WL as far as deluxe.....and the room was actually the same as any other WDW resort. Aside from the Restaurants and GREAT pool... But pofq pool is pretty cool too.

 

[padawans]

There is such a big difference between a mod and a Deluxe. If you have only stayed deluxe I think you will be in for a big let down. Have you considered one of the cheaper deluxes such as AKL or WL?

 

[Missytara]

There is such a big difference between a mod and a Deluxe. If you have only stayed deluxe I think you will be in for a big let down. Have you considered one of the cheaper deluxes such as AKL or WL?

Not necessarily; I got an upgrade one year from POR to SSR with the 4/3 deal.

I was very disappointed and couldn't wait to get back to POR the following year; the time couldn't come fast enough.

 

[rusty4]

We stayed at the GF last year. We really missed POR our favorite resort so far.

What is the price difference for the YC? That may be nice so that you can stroll over to the World Showcase or to the Boardwalk. Also, the Dolphin and Swan are nearby.

 

[pattyw]

We have stayed in most of the deluxes, all of the mods, Pop, and SSR. We can't justify the cost of the deluxes- we'd rather save the money and come back sooner! But for a special trip, a deluxe is amazing!! POR is wonderful!! We love it there- we like the pool at CSR better, but we like everything else better at POR. You will not regret staying there!