First time at POR! Questions : )

[DMRick]

I booked us at POR, 5 of us (3 adults) at $848 for 7 nights. It cost an extra $117 with tax for the extra adult. It's a standard room (they said because we are five, it will be in Alligator bayou..is that good?). We each get to play a free round of mini golf with the price.
Anything I should know about where to request rooms (either in advance or upon check in)?
We have only stayed at the campground (3 times) and Allstars (10 times) in the past. We love the food court at the Allstars..is this one similar? Once we buy our new refillable mugs, are they self serve like Allstars? Does the foodcourt have a micro useable to guests like Allstars? Similar prices in the food court to Allstars?

What are the beds in POR when you have 5? Is one a "tuck" under trundle?

I'm hoping we have more room than the last trip to Allstars when we all went (5 in a room, because the youngest was underage). How is the bathroom set up?

I thought they said there were 10 pools, could I have hard that correct? If any of htem are down for refurbishment, does that mean we can poolhop, or only if hte main pool is down?
Sorry for so many questions.
Anyone have a site with pictures on it?

 

[disney queen]

we have stayed in both sections and really liked the AB best. our building was #15 which is nonsmoking. it is just a short walk to the first busstop and the back door to the food court. the dressing area is separate from the bath-area in the bathrooms. there were 2 doubles and a trundle in our room. we had a corner room which gave the appearance of being a larger room. there were windows on each side of the room, at the corner. as far as the pools are concerned i can not answer that. i do know that the only ones that are allowed pool-hopping privileges are those who are members of the DVC. have you checked deb's site for pics? www.wdwig.com yes, the refill stations are easy to get to in the food court and there is a micro almost inside the back door. we did not eat too many meals there as we found the breakfasts(mainly what we ate at the resort) better and just about the same price at boatwright's, the sit-down there at POR. hope this helps.

 

[jaret]

we have stayed at POR but in the Mansion section,so I can't help you with the room question.The refillable mugs can be used in the foos court.Yes it is self serve(pop,some sort of fruit punch,coffe,tea and hot chocolate)There is an "island" with two sides for this.The food court area has a bakery,a place to get sub sandwiches,salads and soup,a place for burgers and chicken(plus french fries,and a pizza pasta place.There is also a cooler with fruit,salad,milk beer ect..You go to each area get yor food them line up at the cashier to pay for it.The drink machines are after this point.There is a toaster and microwave to the left of the cashiers(right by the pizza/pasta place)Prices I can't I have never been to allstars.
I do know it is a trundle bed for the 5th person(yes it pulls out from under the bed.In the mansion section the laundry is located at the quiet pool,which keeps the kids entertained.
There were 2 sinks and they were not in the bathroom.There was a shelf above them,this was also the area where the safe and clothes hanger was.It was at the back of the room and sort of separate and the bathroom is there also

 

[DMRick]

i do know that the only ones that are allowed pool-hopping privileges are those who are members of the DVC.
*****************
You can also pool hop if your hotel pool is closed for construction..but I don't know if that has to be the main pool or any pool. Does POR only have two pools? I thought she mentioned a total of 5 (3 in AB) when I made the ressies.

Thanks for all the info..food court sounds very much like Allstars. Do you know what your corner room number was (we are non smoking also).

 

[jaguar9748]

OK - here goes. We have stayed at this resort many times.

First, your rate is good. Works out to $104 per night after subtracting the amount for the extra adult. It could be a little tight with 3 adults - hope you like each other a lot!

Request these buildings in this order: 14, 15, 18 (may be smoking), 16 and then 17. These buildings are closest to the main Riverside building and the main bus stop. If the resort is crowded, you will want to board the bus at the main stop.

Food court is good. It is not as big as the All Stars because there is a sit down restaurant, Boatrights, but it has adequate choices. My daughter loves the taco salad. My son loves the double cheeseburgers. My husband loves the Italian section. We all like the pizza! Boatrights is excellent too, but it is much more expensive since it is a restaurant. In general, food at WDW is high, in my opinion.

The mugs can be refilled forever.

There is a microwave inside the food court next to the exit leading to the buildings I mentioned above. There is also a toaster.

The trundle bed is under the first double bed in the room. My teens have slept on it with no problem. I've always thought that Disney completely tires them out so they don't even notice!! The room is set up similarly to the All Stars - 2 double beds, 1 table (larger than All Stars) with 2 chairs, Armoire with TV and drawers, shelf and hanging area for clothes, 2 sinks outside the bathroom, toilet and tub in bathroom.

There are 6 pools at Riverside. The main pool is on Ole' Man Island. It is a huge pool and has a slide that the kids love. There is also a hot tub. This pool has lifeguards. There is a pool bar and lockers. There is a playground near by and a fishing hole where the kids can fish for real for fun!! The mansion section has 2 quiet pools - one for 2 mansions. The bayou section has 3 quiet pools. Each cluster of 5 bayous has its own pool. The quiet pools at the mansions are huge, but they service 2 huge buildings! The quiet pools at the bayous are smaller and more intimate.

I use www.wdwinfo.com frequently. Go to Disney resorts and you can pull up pictures, resort maps, etc.

Have fun!!

 

[DMRick]

Thank you all for the info! My Husband and I and our daughter and her two kids will be sharing the room..and we've done it before at allstars, so we know it can be donesone LOL!
My grands are pretty worried about not going to the allstars as they love the themeing. We did (hubby and I) walk the POR in Jan, but we also walked all the other hotels, so I can't remember which is which. I went and looked at the map, and now I think I know which one this is. I too, will miss the oversize icons at Allstars, but it's time to try something different.
Our placement of rooms may be different, because we generally rent a car and not use the buses (although this time around the car rentals are very high!).
Thanks for all the info..much appreciated.

 

[Lady and the Tramp]

We have stayed at POR and the All Stars and we perfer the food court at POR. The POR food court has great food and a wonderful selection. We love the theming of the room all the way down to the huge waterwheel!!!

Lady