Deluxe kind of girl goes moderate

[Candlelady]

Just returned from a 5 night stay at Port Orleans Riverside last evening. I enjoy the amenities of a deluxe hotel and was dreading the idea of staying at POR. Never would have booked a moderate, but this was a business trip for my DD, the room was free, and felt lucky she invited her old mom instead of her boyfriend.

POR is absolutely lovely! We stayed in Oak Manor, room 9409, in a smoking optional so I could smoke right outside the room and not bother DD with smoke in the room. As a side note, she hates smoke and never once complained that the room smelled of it. The room was spotless and plently large enough for the two of us. Our mousekeeper left us a couple of towel critters on the first day, and it was a pleasant surprise. There was plenty of drawer space and more than enough room to hang our clothes. The only complaint I had was I could not figure out how to work the alarm clock. Not a problem as we both would rather have Mickey wake us up anyway.

The grounds are relaxing and we both enjoyed strolling over the bridges and winding paths in the late evening to explore the resort. I think we both fell in love with POR. She was up at 5 a.m. every morning to run and thoroughly enjoyed the run around POR and FQ.

The CM's were fantastic. Very friendly and helpful. We arrived at the resort late Saturday night and when I called from the room for an ironing board, iron, coffee maker and extra pillows, they were there in less than 15 minutes with a smile. The general store (Fulton's?) was much larger than the stores in the deluxe hotels and carried almost anything you'd want or need. The fast food area totally surprised me with how large it is and it was nice to grab something quick and sit outside on the porch to eat. The food was not my cup of tea for the most part (we both try to eat healthy which is most difficult at Disney) , but it certainly looked like everyone there was enjoying the food. We also ate at Boatwright's, the sit down restaurant, and found they were very accomodating at preparing DD's food to her specifications ( healthy). The CM and I were laughing at all her requests on how to prepare her food.

Bus service was plentiful and never waited more than 20 minutes. Seems we were always just missing a bus

We didn't use the pools, but everyone else sure looked like they were having a great time.

Just lovely. This deluxe kind of girl would not hesitate to stay at the mansions again. If anyone has any questions, I'll do my best to answer.

 

[DW mouser]

That does it! Next time we're going to try a moderate! Almost did for our upcoming trip Dec.1-6 and then was lucky to get a club discount on a deluxe savannah room at AKL and knew my grandkids really wanted to stay there from watching it on the travel channel. We have stayed at Poly, WL and now AKL. Also HRH at Universal. I think once we try a moderate we will be surprised like you. I pay for both rooms , tickets, airfare, ect. so a savings in room fees may make it so we could go every year.
Glad your daughter choose you over her boyfriend. Bet he was surprised! Sounds like you had a fabulous time!

 

[Candlelady]

DW Mouser,
I don't think you'll be disappointed, at least I wasn't with POR in the mansions. I didn't want to stay in the bayou section as I liked the room decor of the mansions better. I don't have little children any more, and it seemed to me that more children were in the other section closer to the main pool. They also have bike and boat rentals which we unfortunately didn't have time for this trip. There is more room for the kiddies to run and play at POR than there is at a deluxe.

I also found that I did not miss a balcony or a view, which really surprised me. Instead of sitting on a balcony, I would walk to the front of the mansion and sit on a bench and watch the boats and ducks go by in the water. Much more relaxing than worrying about getting the 'perfect view' in a deluxe.

There is definitely more walking involved with moderate, but that does not bother me as I'm a power walker by nature and usually passed everyone else. It's hard for me to slow down my pace even when going for a 'relaxing' stroll. Walking around the resort is part of the experience. POR has a wonderful ambience about it. Just request as close as possible to the main buildings.

We are going again in January and staying at BCV. I was going to book a room at the Beach Club for 2 nights before moving over to the villa to save weekend points. Now I'm booking at POR instead.

 

[cinder1]

I am glad to hear you liked POR. We stayed at the Poly last yr and are staying at POR in March. I've been worried about it too. We did request Alligator Bayou because I think my kids will like it better and I know DH will (he's more outdoorsy than me). I've been more worried exterior entrances and the size of the room. How did you find the exterior entrances? Thanks for the info.

 

[Candlelady]

I'm not exactly sure what you want to know about the exterior entrances.

Just entering from the outside instead of an interior hallway. When I travel I always prefer an interior hallway, but at Disney I felt perfectly safe.
The only thing that was different is I didn't keep the blinds open. I have this thing about people peeking in the windows.

People will be walking by your door and window, but they walk by your door in the deluxes also, just inside.

The room size was fine. There are two full size beds so it didn't take as much room as queens like in the deluxes. Actually, looked like there was more than enough room to put a crib next to the bed closest to the door. One item I found extemely useful was a small shelf with 5 or 6 pegs to hang items off of. I had it full every night with our lanyards, backpacks and bags. They should have them in the deluxes!

Hope I answered your question. If you have more, let me know and I will answer the best I can. I'm sure people who stay at Riverside often will post more info than I have.

 

[princess angel]

wow, thanks for the excellent review! I am a deluxe addict, and you have given me a pretty good persuasion to try a moderate! actually, i want to, but dh is a difficult one to persuade! He keeps sayin that they arent convenient enough! he likes to walk to epcot and mgm when we stay at BWV or the YC, or be close to MK if we stay at GF or Poly.

It sounds tempting though ! one of these days!

laura

 

[Deluzy]

Yeah! I'm so glad that you posted about your stay at POR. We are going in February and have never been to POR before (stayed at CBR).

Thanks!

 

[Candlelady]

princess angel,
Why don't you try it? Two nights should be enough for you to explore the grounds and see if it will please dh.

He does have a point about convienience (sp?). Let's face it, part of the deluxe price is for convienience except for AKL. I love to stay in the MK area, but I really did not feel put out staying in POR. I even went to OKW to see for myself if I should try it. I fell in love with the place and it's 'out there'. Thinking of trying it next yr instead of BWV. Of course, I'll be at POR in the mansions for two days before the villas. Like I said, I love the ambience of the POR grounds and the first few days I always seem to go commando.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

If you like POR then you'll really like CBR. I've stayed at both and they are a great way to save money.

 

[Krissalee]

I've stayed at deluxe resorts, moderates, and value. While deluxe is nice for the convenience, I really liked the mods, particulary POFQ (I've never stayed at POR). I would love to return to POFQ and try POR. It would be a great money saver, plus, the theming is amazing. The mods are a lot more spread out, so it feels like you have moore room to breathe. You are not all crammed into one building. I really like the pathways at the mods - very scenic and relaxing.

Thanks for the report on POR - it really helps for me when thinking and dreaming about future trips!

 

[princess angel]

thankyou candlelady!
That is what I was thinking - try 2 days at the beginning of a vacation to "break him in" at a moderate! sounds like a perfect idea to me!

Laura

 

[Jillpie]

Candlelady, what a great post. I have the opposite experience from you. We have always been POR addicts for the past 4 years, have never even tried the deluxes. UNTIL....I got the DVC bug. We just bought into the BCV's in Sept. so we will be trying our first deluxe accomodation in April in a 1 br. villa. So I wonder what its like to have a balcony? We are still going back to POR for 3 nights before our villa stay, I think it will always be our first "home", it is truly a beautiful resort. Thanks for the "mental" picture of it.

 

[jwwi]

Candlelady your post is great. I have 2 rooms booked for POR 10/29-11/3. With a postcard code it is under $1000 which I think is good. I have wondered if I should have gone for a deluxe because there are only 4 adults in our group, but decided that the extra bath, and not sharing a bed, is the way to go. 2 seniors, 2 40something- all women. I have stayed at POR x3, POFQ and CBR x3 and have loved them. I would try CBR if you get a chance, I really like the theme, great to spend a few days in spring to get in the tropical mood after a long WI winter.

 

[hallie]

Thanks for the review!! We're trying the POR for the first time this November and I'm really excited!

 

[dreaming]

Candlelady - thanks so much for this post. We were at wl last year and I was a little concerned with how por would hold up because wl was so great! From what I am hearing I'm starting to get really excited for our trip to por in December!
Could you tell me if you saw the piano player in the lounge at all and if it was a "bar" atmosphere or somewhere you could take kids for some kind of virgin drink and music, we have a six year old but would love to hear the piano player. Also, since you seemed to have a chance to explore the resort - did you walk to pofq pool at all and was it very far? Thanks!

 

[Candlelady]

dreaming,
Yes, the piano player was there and there were also children with their parents enjoying the music. We did not partake of this entertainment (way to tired because of commando park touring , but it looked like a good time was being had by all. There seems to be a 'bar' area and a sitting area with comfy chairs and round coffee tables. There were people just curled up in a few of the chairs reading.

We did walk over to the FQ boat dock and the pool was right there. We didn't go into the pool area as the boat was about to leave to DTD. It was pretty crowded though, which means it must be a great pool!

WL is my favorite too! It's so serene and relaxing to me. POR is wonderful and relaxing too, just in a different way. The reason I enjoy the deluxes so much is I like to have everything under one roof. But to be honest, I really didn't mind the walk to the lobby at Riverside, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

 

[MinnieGi]

Thanks Candlelady for the great review - we love POR too especially the mansions!!!

My DH and I were actually disappointed in our WL room last trip b/c it felt more cramped than our corner King room at POR. Now we loved WL and the feel of it, but liked our POR room and decor much better. Loved the landscaping at POR also.

Glad you had such a nice time!
Gi

 

[dreamflight99]

OAK MANOR has a DELUXE FEEL for a MODERATE PRICE! Birnbaum's WDW guide book properly describes this resort as such...especially the mansions! We have stayed in OAK MANOR on many occasions. It's the only moderate we would even consider returning to (from the Deluxes). It's truly one of the BEST KEPT SECRETS at WDW. So glad you enjoyed your stay, and hope you travel back again soon.

P.S. We also had the pleasure of SEEING the Fireworks over the Castle from the Terrace off the second floor, in front of our river front room. It was a wonderful & magical experience. What a TREAT for a mod. Also...East Depot is great! The food court is tops, pizza is fresh/hot delivered to the room, laundry facility, pools, etc. (I could go ON & ON!)

 

[QJ411]

Hi CandleLady!!!

We'll be at POR for 3 post nights after our Cruise...(thanks for the note on WL rooms also last time! We put in our request)...and now, thanks for the tip on the rooms at POR!

Any tip on the Cruise? You've helped us w/ the WL, and now POR...any tip for the Cruise would be highly appreciated!

Thanks for the post CandleLady!

 

[ScottOKW2K]

POR is one of the main reasons we bought into DVC !

Before arrival on our first trip in '99 we wondered if Dixie Landings would be worth the cost. Needless to say, we were completely smitten by the resort. We enjoy the calm beauty of the grounds, the pools, and many of the other things mentioned that make this resort such a nice one for he entire family. The quailty so apparent in a "moderate" resort - plus the information in the forums here on Pete's siet - are what convinced us to purchase an OKW resale contract, sight unseen.

Since then we've stayed at 1 br's at BWV and OKW (our favorite), 2 br @ VWL, and a Grand Villa at OKW. And in-between our DVC trips, we still like , and look forward to, staying at Dixie [ I know, POR .... but it will always be Dixie Landings to US ] .