Resort Thread Disney's PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE Resort

[Sue M]

Hello all! Can anyone tell me, based on what they've heard, the success rate of requesting a room in AB vs MB? Just booking a standard or garden view, not preferred, not pool view, not royal, no 5th person. Basically, all other things being equal, how likely is it that, if I request the mansions, I'll get the mansions? Thanks!

ETA: I guess I'm looking for anecdotes from those who haven't gotten their preferred section, and what reason, if any, was given.

We've had many POR stays, and we prefer the mansions so that's what we always request. Have always gotten our location. I think POR room assignors are some of the best! 9 times out of 10 I've gotten exactly what I've requested.

 

[fbarker]

We have had some trouble getting the room we request. The last time was this last March when we asked for a specific mansion and when I got my room assignment it was in AB. We did get reassigned but the Manager at POR told us that the reservations system does not always communicate with the resort, for special requests. We didn't understand this but that is what he told us so in the future we will make our reservations and then contact POR directly with our room request.

 

[AllysonL]

Everyone I talk to raves about this resort!! I'm hoping this is where we decide to stay next time. My question for y'all, and I'm sure it's covered in here... what keeps you coming back to this resort?
I'm trying to decide which side we'd want to stay on - and it's hard! I like the look of the AB rooms more, but we don't need a murphy bed. Are there rooms in AB without them?

 

[Libby6]

My husband and I are planning a trip at the end of August. I'd love to stay at POR.....we want a king room since it's just the 2 of us, but if we're put in a room far from the main building, how long of a walk would that be? Can you pay for a king and have the option of requesting a room near bus stop and food?

 

[Wood Nymph]

My husband and I are planning a trip at the end of August. I'd love to stay at POR.....we want a king room since it's just the 2 of us, but if we're put in a room far from the main building, how long of a walk would that be? Can you pay for a king and have the option of requesting a room near bus stop and food?

The king rooms are located in every area of the resort except the two building that have royal rooms. So you can request to have a room close to the main building. There are some king rooms in the preferred buildings.

 

[Sue M]

We have had some trouble getting the room we request. The last time was this last March when we asked for a specific mansion and when I got my room assignment it was in AB. We did get reassigned but the Manager at POR told us that the reservations system does not always communicate with the resort, for special requests. We didn't understand this but that is what he told us so in the future we will make our reservations and then contact POR directly with our room request.

I have always sent a fax to room assignors with my requests. The POR thread on page 1 has info on fax number.

Everyone I talk to raves about this resort!! I'm hoping this is where we decide to stay next time. My question for y'all, and I'm sure it's covered in here... what keeps you coming back to this resort?
I'm trying to decide which side we'd want to stay on - and it's hard! I like the look of the AB rooms more, but we don't need a murphy bed. Are there rooms in AB without them?

I think all AB rooms have Murphy beds. We prefer the mansion side so I've never stayed on AB side. What keeps me coming back is the beautiful grounds & theming, boat to Disney Springs, good food court, Bob Jacksons show, and atmosphere of resort. Love seeing the horse & carriages going by at night.

 

[AngiTN]

We have had some trouble getting the room we request. The last time was this last March when we asked for a specific mansion and when I got my room assignment it was in AB. We did get reassigned but the Manager at POR told us that the reservations system does not always communicate with the resort, for special requests. We didn't understand this but that is what he told us so in the future we will make our reservations and then contact POR directly with our room request.

You do know you can't call the resort directly. Even if you see a phone number that says POR it's a call center
The fax system used by Touring Plans, or faxing yourself, works as well as any other method there is. That puts the info in the hands of the room assigner, which is who you want to get it. Front desk doesn't assign rooms

Everyone I talk to raves about this resort!! I'm hoping this is where we decide to stay next time. My question for y'all, and I'm sure it's covered in here... what keeps you coming back to this resort?
I'm trying to decide which side we'd want to stay on - and it's hard! I like the look of the AB rooms more, but we don't need a murphy bed. Are there rooms in AB without them?

Not sure if there are any King rooms in AB without a murphy bed but even if you get one it shouldn't make much difference to you. Just don't use it.

As for what we loved about POR over pretty much the rest of the resorts on property, it's hard to pin point an exact thing. We just had our first stay there a week or so ago. We are people who have stayed at all Deluxe (but for GF) and most of the other Mods and even a few Value nights. We loved POR so much we have 2 more stays booked there. Choosing it over a Deluxe. One of the things that appeal to us a lot is the ability to book King rooms. At the Deluxe resorts these are by request only. When DH and I are traveling alone we'd rather have a King bed. But the biggest thing to us is the vibe of the resort. This is something very much intangible but very much a significant part of what I like or don't like about resorts at Disney. This is probably best described as the first impression we get when we approach the property. Then when everything goes right with the stay, from transportation to rooms to staff, it just solidifies the feeling. And the grounds are just lovely. One of the things I found really appealed to me was not only the waits for the buses but the trips to the parks seemed quick. I've never studied the map of WDW to the point that I know where each property lies in relation to everything else but we felt our trips to the parks from POR were pretty quick overall. At many other resorts the drives to some of the parks seem quite long.

My husband and I are planning a trip at the end of August. I'd love to stay at POR.....we want a king room since it's just the 2 of us, but if we're put in a room far from the main building, how long of a walk would that be? Can you pay for a king and have the option of requesting a room near bus stop and food?

We just returned from a stay in a King room. I requested and got a room in the river side of Magnolia Terrace. There may not have been a better location to be close to everything. It's positioning puts it almost right between the two bridges, one takes you to the pool/play ground and the other to the lobby/boat docks. A bus stop was right in front of the other side of the building. So we were less than 5 min to the pool, lobby and less than 2 min to the bus stop. And it's even right next door to the building where they have the movie.

 

[AllysonL]

But the biggest thing to us is the vibe of the resort. This is something very much intangible but very much a significant part of what I like or don't like about resorts at Disney. This is probably best described as the first impression we get when we approach the property. Then when everything goes right with the stay, from transportation to rooms to staff, it just solidifies the feeling.

This is wonderful, thank you!

 

[AllysonL]

I think all AB rooms have Murphy beds. We prefer the mansion side so I've never stayed on AB side. What keeps me coming back is the beautiful grounds & theming, boat to Disney Springs, good food court, Bob Jacksons show, and atmosphere of resort. Love seeing the horse & carriages going by at night

Excellent, thank you

 

[Kirby]

Everyone I talk to raves about this resort!! I'm hoping this is where we decide to stay next time. My question for y'all, and I'm sure it's covered in here... what keeps you coming back to this resort?

Granted I haven't been to WDW very much, just four times but since I stayed at POR on our 3rd visit there is no other resort I would rather stay at. During my last visit, I visited AKL, Poly, GF, Pop Century, Contemporary and Wilderness Lodge besides riding the boat from AK to Epcot and viewing the resorts from the water. I have stayed at Shades of Green, AS Sports and CBR. None of them make me feel so right at home as does POR. The only other resort that comes close, at least for me, is CBR.

 

[ElsasFan]

We just got back from a wonderful, eight-night stay at POR. Everything was great! I didn't send a fax requesting any particular room because I got busy, but did request second floor, corner room when I did online check-in, and those requests were granted. The beds were SO comfortable--I would love to know what kind of mattress they have! Housekeeping was fine and when I left a note asking for extra linens, they left more than enough. The longest we had to wait for a bus was 15 minutes, and I think we probably just missed the prior one, so it was bad timing on our part. There was a CM stationed by the bus depot (we used the South) and he said that he was there to make sure the buses were coming when needed. There was always plenty of space on the bus when we left the resort, but we did usually have to stand on the way back. Lastly, the food was very good at the foodcourt. I have no complaints and we will definitely return.

 

[Mom of Jack 2009]

We just got back from a wonderful, eight-night stay at POR. Everything was great! I didn't send a fax requesting any particular room because I got busy, but did request second floor, corner room when I did online check-in, and those requests were granted. The beds were SO comfortable--I would love to know what kind of mattress they have! Housekeeping was fine and when I left a note asking for extra linens, they left more than enough. The longest we had to wait for a bus was 15 minutes, and I think we probably just missed the prior one, so it was bad timing on our part. There was a CM stationed by the bus depot (we used the South) and he said that he was there to make sure the buses were coming when needed. There was always plenty of space on the bus when we left the resort, but we did usually have to stand on the way back. Lastly, the food was very good at the foodcourt. I have no complaints and we will definitely return.

May I ask what building you stayed in and if you would recommend it? Thanks!

 

[AllysonL]

We just got back from a wonderful, eight-night stay at POR. Everything was great! I didn't send a fax requesting any particular room because I got busy, but did request second floor, corner room when I did online check-in, and those requests were granted. The beds were SO comfortable--I would love to know what kind of mattress they have! Housekeeping was fine and when I left a note asking for extra linens, they left more than enough. The longest we had to wait for a bus was 15 minutes, and I think we probably just missed the prior one, so it was bad timing on our part. There was a CM stationed by the bus depot (we used the South) and he said that he was there to make sure the buses were coming when needed. There was always plenty of space on the bus when we left the resort, but we did usually have to stand on the way back. Lastly, the food was very good at the foodcourt. I have no complaints and we will definitely return.

May I ask what building you stayed in and if you would recommend it? Thanks!

Yes I'd love to know as well!!

 

[916chipndale]

Everyone I talk to raves about this resort!! I'm hoping this is where we decide to stay next time. My question for y'all, and I'm sure it's covered in here... what keeps you coming back to this resort?
I'm trying to decide which side we'd want to stay on - and it's hard! I like the look of the AB rooms more, but we don't need a murphy bed. Are there rooms in AB without them?

For me it's just ambiance, atmosphere, themeing whatever you want to call it. I love the landscaping, especially in AB. The little 'swamps" with the overgrown foliage really sets the mood. I also like how there are different sections of AB. I like that the resort is really quiet, with only the food court being crowded which is to be expected. Boat to Disney Springs is convenient and offers a nice breeze. The Poly used to be my favorite resort, didn't think there would ever be a day it wasn't. Stayed at Riverside in 2013 and loved it right away, then the Poly underwent renovations and Riverside is now my favorite. I like to try different resorts but returned to Riverside last year, and whenever my next trip is it will most likely be back at Riverside. Or maybe I will try French Quarter.

 

[ElsasFan]

Yes I'd love to know as well!!

We booked preferred (the price difference is worth it to us because of the proximity to the busses and food court) and were in Building 15. Coincidentally, the only other time we have stayed there, we were also in Building 15! That time, our room faced the parking lot. This time, we had a lovely view of foliage. It was prettier, but we did have to walk a little further once we were to the building this time. I should have mentioned that last time we were on the first floor and we never heard noise from any other guests either week. Maybe a couple of times we heard toilets flushing (they are so loud there!) but no actual guest noise.

 

[keahgirl8]

I have always sent a fax to room assignors with my requests. The POR thread on page 1 has info on fax number.


I think all AB rooms have Murphy beds. We prefer the mansion side so I've never stayed on AB side. What keeps me coming back is the beautiful grounds & theming, boat to Disney Springs, good food court, Bob Jacksons show, and atmosphere of resort. Love seeing the horse & carriages going by at night.

I've stayed on both sides and love them both. I believe all AB rooms have murphy beds, but I kind of liked it. I just used it to set things on. There are also two drawers underneath if you need them.

As for what we loved about POR over pretty much the rest of the resorts on property, it's hard to pin point an exact thing. We just had our first stay there a week or so ago. We are people who have stayed at all Deluxe (but for GF) and most of the other Mods and even a few Value nights. We loved POR so much we have 2 more stays booked there. Choosing it over a Deluxe. One of the things that appeal to us a lot is the ability to book King rooms. At the Deluxe resorts these are by request only. When DH and I are traveling alone we'd rather have a King bed. But the biggest thing to us is the vibe of the resort. This is something very much intangible but very much a significant part of what I like or don't like about resorts at Disney. This is probably best described as the first impression we get when we approach the property. Then when everything goes right with the stay, from transportation to rooms to staff, it just solidifies the feeling. And the grounds are just lovely. One of the things I found really appealed to me was not only the waits for the buses but the trips to the parks seemed quick. I've never studied the map of WDW to the point that I know where each property lies in relation to everything else but we felt our trips to the parks from POR were pretty quick overall. At many other resorts the drives to some of the parks seem quite long.

Agreed. It feels like a vacation home to me. It is so relaxing and beautiful there. On my last trip, I never set foot in a park and I had an amazing time.

We booked preferred (the price difference is worth it to us because of the proximity to the busses and food court) and were in Building 15. Coincidentally, the only other time we have stayed there, we were also in Building 15! That time, our room faced the parking lot. This time, we had a lovely view of foliage. It was prettier, but we did have to walk a little further once we were to the building this time. I should have mentioned that last time we were on the first floor and we never heard noise from any other guests either week. Maybe a couple of times we heard toilets flushing (they are so loud there!) but no actual guest noise.

I also stayed in preferred on my last trip. My room was less than 2 minutes from the food court...literally. I timed it. For most of my trip, I didn't hear anything but flushing and an occasional shower. I did have a family next door to me one night that decided that the walkway was their own personal patio and they sounded like they were having a party. It's the first time that has happened to me though.

 

[ElsasFan]

I loved the hairdryer in my room during our recent stay at POR, and am kicking myself for not writing down the information about it. Can someone who is there now or will be soon post the details about it? I think the brand was andis, but that brand has a lot of different models. Random question, but my hair looked great all week! Thanks in advance.

 

[andrewilley]

I loved the hairdryer in my room during our recent stay at POR, and am kicking myself for not writing down the information about it. Can someone who is there now or will be soon post the details about it?

Maybe This Post for example?

Andre

 

[Wood Nymph]

I loved the hairdryer in my room during our recent stay at POR, and am kicking myself for not writing down the information about it. Can someone who is there now or will be soon post the details about it? I think the brand was andis, but that brand has a lot of different models. Random question, but my hair looked great all week! Thanks in advance.

We will be checking into POR in 2 weeks. I'll check it out unless someone else gets there first.

 

[ElsasFan]

Maybe This Post for example?

Andre

Yes! I think that is it! Thank you!