Going down the bayou, going down the bayou, taking you all the way!

[racefanof88]

Joining in . Really enjoying your report so far . Your little girl is so cute; she does look just like you.

We stayed at POR in 2002. We were way on the back of the resort so we grew tired of the long walk to the food court and bus stops quickly. It was the first time we had been in May and boy was it HOT...... We stayed at Pop last September and we enjoyed it. The resort isn't so big that you can't walk to everything at the resort and we had a pool very close to our room .

 

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

Joining in! I'm looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip!

Hello there! Thank you so much for joining in! Hopefully I'll be able to do another update today.

 

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

Im enjoying all the pics!! We will be dressed up as Christmas elves.. we will be easy to pick out of crowd LOL.. All of us are doing it this year ... But you shoudl dress up! Have you ever been to MNSSHP?? We went 3 years ago and we just dressed up my DD (she was 14 months at the time) and we felt out of place not being dressed up because EVERYONE was dressed up.. So we are this year.. Im excited..

I will keep an eye out for Christmas elves at the party! We did go to MNSSHP a couple years ago and didn't dress up, but I want to this year. I just need to figure out as what! I know what my DD wants to be - Jessie. Maybe my husband and I can go as Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.

 

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

Joining in . Really enjoying your report so far . Your little girl is so cute; she does look just like you.

We stayed at POR in 2002. We were way on the back of the resort so we grew tired of the long walk to the food court and bus stops quickly. It was the first time we had been in May and boy was it HOT...... We stayed at Pop last September and we enjoyed it. The resort isn't so big that you can't walk to everything at the resort and we had a pool very close to our room .

Hey Dana! Thank you for joining in!! I'm honored that you're reading my TR, after all you're one of the inspirations to get it going - I've been following yours, Mickeystoontown and KatMarks TRs and PTRs and have enjoyed reading them all!! Also, thanks for the compliment on my DD.

We were in the back of the resort at POR too, and it was a hike to the food court but luckily it was all shaded! I'm glad you enjoyed Pop, we would still like to try it out sometime. I'll be checking in on your TR and hopefully I'll get a new update done on mine today.

 

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

When I last left off, we were fleeing EPCOT to avoid the impending storm. We got back to POR and relaxed in the room while it stormed. After the rain let up and it was just sprinkling, we decided to venture out to check out the food court and do a little exploring. Here are some photos of our sights as we made our way to the food court...

My daughter trying to catch a frog:

I think POR is a beautiful resort. As I mentioned earlier, we were in Building 35 and I think it’s probably one of the furthest buildings out! I didn’t mind the walk as it was so scenic and beautiful, but I can see how it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. We are used to spread out resorts though as we have stayed at CBR and CSR and I didn’t think this walk was any worse. The good thing about POR is that the paths (at least the ones we followed) are all shaded so at least we were protected from the sun.

Another thing I like about moderates is the fact they are spread out. You don’t feel like you have people ‘on top’ of you and it also makes for a lot of exploring to do. We are not the park commandos that we used to be (since DD was born) and I like to be able to come back to the resort and take a stroll while taking in the sights. For me it adds another dimension to my vacation - not only are you are at Disney but you can be transported to “the Caribbean, or French Quarter, etc.” depending on which resort you choose. Disney definitely does an excellent job at theming!

We stopped at the main swimming pool “’Ol’ Man Island” so my DD could take a look at it (she loves to swim!) Since it had been storming the pool was closed – that’s why it’s empty in the pictures. She couldn’t wait to be able to get her feet wet in there and hit that slide!

We finally crossed the bridge and this is what we saw:

Continued in next post...

 

[Miriade]

I think POR is a beautiful resort. As I mentioned earlier, we were in Building 35 and I think it’s probably one of the furthest buildings out! I didn’t mind the walk as it was so scenic and beautiful, but I can see how it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. We are used to spread out resorts though as we have stayed at CBR and CSR and I didn’t think this walk was any worse. The good thing about POR is that the paths (at least the ones we followed) are all shaded so at least we were protected from the sun.

Another thing I like about moderates is the fact they are spread out. You don’t feel like you have people ‘on top’ of you and it also makes for a lot of exploring to do. We are not the park commandos that we used to be (since DD was born) and I like to be able to come back to the resort and take a stroll while taking in the sights. For me it adds another dimension to my vacation - not only are you are at Disney but you can be transported to “the Caribbean, or French Quarter, etc.” depending on which resort you choose. Disney definitely does an excellent job at theming!

Hello!
I am bound to read an write (I'm subbing) in your TR as in 2 weeks I'll go to POR and WDW for the very first time and your lovely pic of the Resort make my heart skip a beat in antecipation!
Thanks for sharing!

 

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

In my last post we were walking to find the food court which we finally reached:

We looked around at all the food stations and then decided on the carving station. You could order turkey or roast beef, 2 sides – (selection of sides: mashed potatoes, corn, squash, beans) and cornbread (along with dessert and drink since on the dining plan). We also picked up our refillable mugs since they were included in the QSDP. I was shocked that our meals and mugs came to almost $90 if we had to pay out of pocket for them! We found a table near a window and ate. Our food was delicious, I wish I had taken a picture but I forgot to.

After we ate we went to the arcade and redeemed the voucher that was included in our travel documents from Disney. I think it was worth $2 (100 points). So of course, we had to buy some more points so DD could play.

Here she is racing as Dale Jr. in a NASCAR game:

After we got our fill of the arcade we ventured to the gift store. I would have liked to purchase a souvenir (magnet, coffee mug) with POR’s logo or something on it but they didn’t have anything.

My DD picked out a ‘Baby Pluto’ at the store:

I snapped some more pictures:

We went back to The Riverside Mill to fill our mugs and headed back to our room. My daughter wanted to swim so we told her we could go to the quiet pool that evening and do the main pool the next day. There weren’t many people in the quiet pool.

Just as a side note - last year we stayed at the Polynesian. I loved staying there and would stay there again in a heartbeat (if said heartbeat was loaded!); but there are two minor drawbacks to the Poly in my opinion. (1) The pool situation. The main pool is small for a resort that large. I don’t know if this is how it is all the time or just in summer/busy months but we could NEVER get a chair, table, nada. I noticed when we would head out to the parks in the morning people would stake their territories by leaving towels, bags, etc. on the chairs and tables. The pool was also VERY crowded. The quiet pool was a little better, but it was also not very ‘quiet’ and it was closed a couple days during our stay. The 2nd drawback at the Poly IMHO is the foodcourt. It is small compared to POR, with not much seating and the selections aren’t there like they are at a moderate (and probably value, although I’ve never stayed so can’t speak first hand). Although one thing I LOVE about the Poly food court is the Dole Whip dispenser!! These are a couple differences I noticed between the mods and the Poly. While they might not be important to some, and wouldn't keep me away from the Poly (only budget can do that) it's something I will take into consideration if we ever decide to stay there again. I like have multiple pool options because swimming is a highlight for my DD and I like having a larger food court. Sorry for the side notes, but thought I'd mention in case it would happen to help anyway making a decision - not trying to Poly bash in anyway!

After swimming, we headed back to the room. Everyone showered and hit the sack to rest up for the next day's touring of Animal Kingdom, which is where I will begin in my next update...

 

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

Hello!
I am bound to read an write (I'm subbing) in your TR as in 2 weeks I'll go to POR and WDW for the very first time and your lovely pic of the Resort make my heart skip a beat in antecipation!
Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for stopping by! I'm glad you are enjoying the pictures. It truly is a lovely resort in my opinion and I hope you find it to be as well! Have a safe and wonderful trip - let me know what you think of POR!

 

[wtccheermom]

I love your trip report!!! We stayed at POFQ this past March and loved it!! We were actually sad when it was time for us to move over to OKW for the rest of our stay. We are planning our next trip for Sept/Oct 2011(thanks to free dinning otherwise it would have been June 2012) and we just booked PO Riverside. I really hope we get the Alligator Bayou section. I see you will be going again at the time of year we will so I really hope you post a trip report because I am dying to know how WDW is at the end of Sept beginning of Oct.

 

[Caretames1]

HI I'm subbing in. Love your TR! We stayed at POR for our 1st trip and we loved it. We are going again in Jan, and your pics are making us wish we were there right now.

Carey

 

[steelerfan87]

Glad you like Riverside. We loved it when we were there also although it was Dixie Landings then. We were in building 27. We attempted All-Star music our last trip and absolutely did not like it at all. I am currently putting the pieces together for a Sept. 2011 trip back to Riverside but I want to try out the Manor side of the Resort this time.

Foodcourt there is absolutely better than a value resort. I would like to also spend a little more time around the resort next time. We were all about the parks and nothing but the parks last time we were there. We did enjoy a nice dip in the hot every night to soothe the body after a long day in the parks.

Those are some really good pics of the resort. looking forward to the rest of the report.

 

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

I love your trip report!!! We stayed at POFQ this past March and loved it!! We were actually sad when it was time for us to move over to OKW for the rest of our stay. We are planning our next trip for Sept/Oct 2011(thanks to free dinning otherwise it would have been June 2012) and we just booked PO Riverside. I really hope we get the Alligator Bayou section. I see you will be going again at the time of year we will so I really hope you post a trip report because I am dying to know how WDW is at the end of Sept beginning of Oct.

Hi and welcome! Thanks for joining in. POR and POFQ are beautiful resorts and it's awesome you got in on the free dining! I will try to do another report after our October trip to let you know how the crowds/weather are at that time of year. I hope you get Alligator Bayou section as well - I requested it again for our upcoming trip and hope we get it again, but I'll be happy anywhere there!

 

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

HI I'm subbing in. Love your TR! We stayed at POR for our 1st trip and we loved it. We are going again in Jan, and your pics are making us wish we were there right now.

Carey

Hi Carey! Thanks for subbing to my TR - I'm glad you are enjoying it! It has been fun for me getting to relive our vacation. I hope you have a wonderful trip in January!

 

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

Glad you like Riverside. We loved it when we were there also although it was Dixie Landings then. We were in building 27. We attempted All-Star music our last trip and absolutely did not like it at all. I am currently putting the pieces together for a Sept. 2011 trip back to Riverside but I want to try out the Manor side of the Resort this time.

Foodcourt there is absolutely better than a value resort. I would like to also spend a little more time around the resort next time. We were all about the parks and nothing but the parks last time we were there. We did enjoy a nice dip in the hot every night to soothe the body after a long day in the parks.

Those are some really good pics of the resort. looking forward to the rest of the report.

Hi Steelerfan! Thanks for the compliments on my pics. I would like to try the manor side as well sometime, but I liked the bayou side so much too! Decisions decisions! I hope your plans for September come together and that you get a chance to spend more time at the resort. Keep me posted on your trip!

 

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

Day 2 - Animal Kingdom

Our plans for the 2nd day were to visit Animal Kingdom. We got the wake up call at 7:00 AM and everyone got up to get ready to go. We always eat breakfast in our room. I brought Clif bars, bagels and peanut butter and those cereal cups for everyone to choose from. We bought a bottle of milk and orange juice at the food court and kept them in our fridge. We like to eat in the room so we can get to the parks at rope drop and also we don't want to use our QS/TS credits on breakfast.

We got in the car and drove to AK. We got in the park at exactly 9:00. The first thing on the agenda was Everest so we started walking that direction.

I like taking in the sights along the way. As I said earlier, I think Disney does a great job at theming. Sometime, I would like to just go hang out at the parks and look at all the building and the details. I feel like I miss so much when we're trying to hightail it to attractions. Some pics I took as I was doing the aforementioned 'hightailing'...

We finally reach:

And this is looming before us:

I think the stand-by time was 10 or 15 minutes when we got to the entrance. Here is my DD in the queue area:

More sights as we move along the queue:

This one a bit blurry...

My DD rode with me and we screamed our heads off as usual. Of course as soon as it was over she was yelling "let's do it again!!" So we go back to the entrance and get some FPs to use later as the stand-by wait time had increased considerably.

Next on the to-do list was Primeval Whirl in DinoLand. So we started to walk that way. That's when I noticed how HOT it was. Maybe because DinoLand isn't shady at all, or maybe from our excitment upon arrival I hadn't noticed
just how very hot it was - but let me tell you I was hot! My DD had forgot her little fan thingy at the hotel so we didn't have that for relief.

DinoLand:

The wait time for Primeval whirl was 15-20 mins so we got in line. At least it was shady and there were fans blowing! Here is DD in line:

I must say that ride is one slow loading ride! It's fun but I don't think I'd wait more than 15-20 minutes to ride it.

Next DD wanted to ride Triceratop Spin - it had no wait time. Some pics taken from that ride:

After we rode that DD wanted to play the midway games, in particular Bop a Mole. She has done that particular game for the past 3 years and I guess it's became sort of a tradition. A tradition that costs $5 (I can't believe they charge $2.50 a game) but I digress and go spend 5 bucks on 2 tickets. This year she didn't win a little orange dinosaur/alligator like she has in the past.

After that we were all thirsty so we found a drink vendor and bought some bottled water. Then it was off to the Boneyard for her and DH. I was too hot I asked for a pass so I sat on a shady bench and 'guarded' the water. After 15 -20 minutes had passed I called my DH on his cell and asked how much longer. He said they were walking toward me then. It was time to use our FPs so we walked back to Asia and rode Everest again. After all that screaming I was hungry, in fact we all were. So we headed to our favorite QS at AK - Flame Tree BBQ.

I don't know why I varied from what I normally order (rotisserie chicken), but this time I did and got a turkey sandwich. Maybe because I was so hot, I wanted something that wasn't warm. MY DH ordered the BBQ sandwich and DD got a hot dog. We went and found a place to sit.

After taking a few bites DD kept complaining she didn't feel well (nauseas). She said she was hot and tired and wanted to go back to the hotel. I thought maybe she was getting dehydrated so I asked her to drink. I didn't like my turkey sandwich at all and I was concerned about DD so wasn't very hungry. The turkey tasted very 'gamey' and it didn't help that the ducks and white birds were walking around my legs. I kept thinking I was eating one of their relatives. DH still wanted to ride the safari and see the animals and I did too. We decided we'd go to ITTBAB and sit in the air-conditioning to see if it would revive us. So after we finished eating as much as we were going to eat we headed that way. The wait time was only 5 minutes - awesome!

Here's DD acting silly as we were waiting to be seated for the 3D movie:

I love that show - we all do.

When the movie was over we were trying to decide if we wanted to go to Africa to ride the safari or what. DD seemed revived from drinking water and getting some air conditioning but she wanted to swim. I was so hot I could have gone too, but I wanted to see the animals as well. DH decided that since we were coming back in October that we should all go back and swim to cool down. DD was elated and I have marked my itinerary for October to start AK with the safari first.

Up next our trip to Downtown Disney...

 

[racefanof88]

Love the updates Your pictures are so good. I can totally understand how hot you were; we went last year over the 4th of July weekend and we did more of the inside stuff than anything else.