9 days at por riverside

[patgoofy]

just returned home after 9 days at DW. HAD GREAT TIME after we got checked in. That was the worst experience ever at disney.it took us over half an hour to get checked in. We made reservations 7 months in advance requested one of the Mansions,we just did not like Alligator Bayou,also asked for king size bed, when we got to front desk we were told they had no rooms in any of the mansions.We told the cast member that we did not have to have king bed, just did not want room in alligator side of resort. She told us the hotel was at 100% full for the week. after 10 minutes of arguing back and forth to get what we had paid for my girl friend politly asked me to go sit down, which was a good idea as I was really getting angry. After 10 more minutes she finally came to find me and told me we had a double room in one of the Mansions and they gave us $100 credit since we paid for king size bed and did not get it. After this I finally calmed down and had a great day until we got back to resort at 3:30 and after the cast member told me they were 100% full there were 11 cars in the parking lot. and it stayed that full all week, so I guess they only have 5 or 6 rooms in that big building.

 

[msteddom]

A room request is just that, a request. There is never any guarentee that you will be assigned a room that you have requested. Also the number of cars in the lot is not an accurate method to judge the occupancy of the resort. From what I hear most people do not bring a car with them to WDW. I'm really glad that you finally got what you wanted and that you had a great time, I just think your expectations might have been a bit misplaced.

 

[kitkatsmom]

We will be staying at the Port Orleans in April.
Having never been there before I'd like to know what the alligator bayou is like and why you preferred the mansions.
(are they the only two building choices?)

thanks

 

[tinkerbee]

What time did you check in? We just returned from Disney last week and never had any problems checking in. We changed resorts 3 times and never had more than a person in front of us. Check in only took maybe 5 minutes. We checked into POR at 9 am the room was ready by 10. Then went to OKW checked in at 11 am the room was ready. Then went to Wilderness Lodge at 12 and the room was ready by 12:30. I think they do the best they can to get what room you want but you have to think that there are also many other people who also have requested the same thing, for the same time, for the same price.

 

[KELLY]

Hi We are also staying at POR for the great rate we got we also paid for a King room and I asked to stay towards the front of the resort. If any one has any info on the resort or any other helpful sights please let me know. Thanks Kelly April 17 to 24th.

 

[tink2]

patgoofy- believe me, I understand your frustration! We arrived at AKL at 11:00am for check in for our Nov. stay. My mother has a heart condition and cannot walk far distances. We were promised three rooms close to the food court and bus stops. We even called again the day before check-in. When we got there, they had us at the end of a wing on the opposite side of the building as the food court and bus stop. The guy, Jesus- I will never forget his name- tried to convince me this was a great location for us. Until I brought out my own map of the resort- he turned quite pale and disappeared for a few minutes. He knew nothing about the resort- didn't have a clue the differences between the savannahs. Anyway, after 4- yes 4- HOURS, we got two/three rooms. The third room came 30 minutes ready. It was non-smoking, but smoke was terrible in the room. This was my brother's room and they had to be moved to the end of a wing. Anyway, this was the absolute worst experience in my life! We got there early- which we told them the day before and they said it would be great, they'd have us ready- and ended up waiting in the lobby with DD4 and DS2 (who were miserable) for 4 hours.
Anyway, I understand how frustrating and upsetting a bad check-in can be. So sorry you had this experience!

 

[Kelmag]

Just to make a comment about check-in wait times -

I've been to various Disney on-property resorts about a dozen times, always have had prior reservations and I have NEVER been checked in under 20 minutes. And I don't mean waiting in line - I mean actually talking with the CM to get my room. In fact one time at CSR, it took over an hour!


I always assumed Disney just took a little longer to check in then most places.

 

[tiggersmom2]

Kitkatsmom,
My family loves the Alligator Bayou buildings. My DS 10yrs. read your post and told me to tell you this. The Mansions are like Gone With The Wind and Scarlett O'hara. The Bayou is like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn!
Hope this helps!!

 

[w8ting4pooh]

Originally posted by Kelmag
I always assumed Disney just took a little longer to check in then most places.

With any other hotel checkin that ISN"T WDW, a room is a room is a room. It just doesn't matter much what building, floor, view, whatever.

Many of us dream, plan, fantasize about our stay in WDW. We go to great lengths researching all of the resorts - just look at some of the questions posted here - like what's the layout of the room, bathroom, etc. Perhaps it takes so much time because alot of us request and expect exactly what we've dreamed about. If at checkin, it appears that we aren't going to get what we've hoped for then we have to work it out with the CMs to get the next best thing that will keep us happy. Which can take some time.

JMO.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

Originally posted by patgoofy
She told us the hotel was at 100% full for the week. after 10 minutes of arguing back and forth to get what we had paid for my girl friend politly asked me to go sit down, which was a good idea as I was really getting angry. After 10 more minutes she finally came to find me and told me we had a double room in one of the Mansions and they gave us $100 credit since we paid for king size bed and did not get it. After this I finally calmed down and had a great day until we got back to resort at 3:30 and after the cast member told me they were 100% full there were 11 cars in the parking lot. and it stayed that full all week, so I guess they only have 5 or 6 rooms in that big building.

Whoa! Does anyone else find it a bit unusual that the resort was 100% full in mid-January? I wonder whether some rooms were being rehabbed (haven't heard of anything like that), or were some buildings just closed because business was slow? If it really was 100% full -then "yay" for Mickey cuz that means business is through the roof!
If I follow that line of thinking I can only hope that means a stop to silly things like opening Adventureland at 10am and not scheduling any Spectros for weeks at a time.
We will be at POR for the first time in March. I am so excited about staying there, having only stayed at value resorts before. I just can't seem to decide between mansions or AB. I am thinking about not making a room request and just enjoying whichever I get.

 

[kandmwedding]

I was at POR last week at the resort was actually pretty full. They were housing a large group for a NWA convention and the buildings looked pretty full, although the lots were pretty empty. I just figured that like us they all had towncar service or used Mears. Although I still don't understand why checkin took that long (it took us about 15 minutes) or why you didn't get the king size bed you paid for (we got ours). I'd definitely file a complaint about not getting the type of room you reserved, but would leave off the part about the resort "being full", because I think it truly was full.

 

[kashkdz]

Originally posted by kitkatsmom
We will be staying at the Port Orleans in April.
Having never been there before I'd like to know what the alligator bayou is like and why you preferred the mansions.
(are they the only two building choices?)

thanks

Hi kitkatsmom --

The Alligator Bayou (AB) section of POR is, as mentioned previously, has a more more rustic feel inside the rooms, and the surrounding areas. The AB section is also used moreso by families with 5 in their party, as this is the only moderate resort that rooms 5 (there is a trundle bed attached to one of the beds). The buildings themselves are more spread out, and the rooms inside are that very Southern rustic charm. The grounds are very beautful and very tranquil; and you of course still have that Disney feel. The mansions the other type of building, only allow a max of 4 per room.

We stayed at POR last October in the AB section, with our three kids and would definitely recommend it. Also do NOT forget to stop by the Piano Bar at night. I forget the piano guy's name (he's been there for years); and he's awesome.

 

[Karibeth19]

We were at POR last week also, and it only took us about 15 minutes to check in, and that was even with a problem that we had to have resolved. My parents were arriving the next day, and we both were going to have to check out and back in a couple days later to take advantage of a different rate. They had us keeping our room, but my parents would have to change rooms, which we didn't want. After only a few minutes, they had us in rooms next door to each other in AB, and neither one of us would have to change rooms for the check out/back in. We were taken care of so quickly, and our room was immediately ready. It was a great experience! Also, the guy told us the resort was full due to the international IBM convention. He said it wasn't just the Disney resorts; his wife worked at the Marriott and they were full too.