Help...1st stay at POR

[hannahryan]

We'll be staying at POR in November. I am pretty particular about my room. I've heard some have been renovated. Any suggestions about what room to request? Any helpful info. about this resort would be most appreciated.

 

[momtolittlered]

We are headed to POR this Nov. also. I have never been but have read many great things about this resort. We have requested Magnolia Terrace in the mansion section- I heard they have been newly renovated. My cousin will be arriving home from POR inaweekand will give me all the scoop! She is staying in Aligator Bayou section - it will be interesting to see how she likes that area.

 

[cjsmom5]

Alot of where to stay depends on what you are looking for...the mansion section in decor is quite different from the Alligator Bayou (AB) section. If you have five then you will be staying in the AB section. Mansion looks like the old south -- very manicured and more "elegant" looking than the Bayou. The Bayou is very rustic in its decor and in its grounds it is more overgrown looking like the bayou down south.

Both areas have buildings that are closer to the food court and main building than others. In the AB section you would want to stay in Bldg 15 or so to be closest to the bus stop, main building, etc. Not sure about the mansion section.

You can call the hotel and ask what their refurbishment schedule is and then make your request. Be sure to note any requests on your ressies as that is what the room assignor uses when assigning rooms. I know they try to meet requests but of course, never guarantee anything.

We like the resort, itself, but it is big, so some rooms can be a little ways from the main building. Perhaps if you give us a bit more info on who is in your party and what is important to you in regards to location, etc. we can help more.

All rooms are the same size whether in the AB or mansion section. Same type of beds, two sinks, armoiur with TV and drawers, etc. The primary difference is in the decor. Corner rooms are nice as they have two windows instead of one but are often hard to snag.

 

[Tink's_Club]

Me and my husband stayed at POR in Alligator Bayou section. Room was very nice and comfortable. Our room was only a few minutes walk to Lobby, restaurants, water Taxi and bus loading/unloading zone. The service was great too. They have great water views as well.. Our vacation next year we plan on staying there again! Hope you have lots of fun...

 

[hannahryan]

Originally posted by cjsmom5
Alot of where to stay depends on what you are looking for...the mansion section in decor is quite different from the Alligator Bayou (AB) section. If you have five then you will be staying in the AB section. Mansion looks like the old south -- very manicured and more "elegant" looking than the Bayou. The Bayou is very rustic in its decor and in its grounds it is more overgrown looking like the bayou down south.

Both areas have buildings that are closer to the food court and main building than others. In the AB section you would want to stay in Bldg 15 or so to be closest to the bus stop, main building, etc. Not sure about the mansion section.

You can call the hotel and ask what their refurbishment schedule is and then make your request. Be sure to note any requests on your ressies as that is what the room assignor uses when assigning rooms. I know they try to meet requests but of course, never guarantee anything.

We like the resort, itself, but it is big, so some rooms can be a little ways from the main building. Perhaps if you give us a bit more info on who is in your party and what is important to you in regards to location, etc. we can help more.

All rooms are the same size whether in the AB or mansion section. Same type of beds, two sinks, armoiur with TV and drawers, etc. The primary difference is in the decor. Corner rooms are nice as they have two windows instead of one but are often hard to snag.

Thanks for all the great info. everyone. We have 4 in our family and the mansions sound like they will suit us (I like "elegant"). What is the decor like in the mansions? We would like to be pretty close to the main building. We'll have a car, so no need to worry about the buses. How is the food in the food court and sit down restaurant?

 

[TN Traveler]

hannahryan......DH, myself and 3 DDs stayed at POR in AB section this past Memorial Day week. We were in bldg 28 in a corner room that we loved. It was a little bit of a walk to the Food court and main bus depot but not too bad. We enjoyed it actually! The walk was always pleasant w/the squirrels, ducks and rabbits everywhere. We had our van also but still took the buses to the
parks. We figured w/gas at $1.80 and more a gallon, waiting a few mins to catch the bus was worth it.

We ate breakfast 2 mornings in the food court and dinner 2 or 3 nights. Honestly, we NEVER had a bad meal. Everything we got was good, fresh and hot. Even at 9:00 at night when we were dragging in from the Parks, the food was good. DDs (8 & 5) would get either the kid's pizza or chicken strips, DH usually got the main meal that was featured and DD13 and I would get either a salad or Pasta. Again, everything very good. However, be prepared to spend about $40 per meal for your family. Cost of food really surprised me. Bottled water, sodas and tea is $2.50 a bottle, most meals we ate were $6-7.00 plus drink.

Since we never ate at Boatwrights or stayed at the Mansions I can't comment on them but must say our experince was very good.

Have a wonderful time!
Karen aka.....TN Traveler

 

[cjsmom5]

We've eaten breakfast at Boatwrights and it was very good. Service was a little sluggish but they were very busy. Everything was hot and well prepared. And, they had a lot of variety. This year we are eating Thanksgiving dinner there since we arrive later in the afternoon on Thanksgiving. So, I'm hoping the buffet they are offering will be as good as breakfast. Also, Boatwrights is not cheap, either, but about the same as most disney food in their sit down restaurants.

Food Court is very good. They have a nice selection -- spaghetti, pizzza, hamburgers, chicken strips, chicken sandwiches, and they have taco salads, a few others that they prepare while you wait plus they have a station where you can get ribs, corn, potatoes, etc. Typically the food there is very good -- both for lunch/dinner and breakfast ... but as someone mentioned it is not cheap.

If you are going to eat there several meals it might be worthwhile for you to buy the refillable mugs. About $11 and you can drink all the pop, hot chocolate, coffee and ice tea that you want. Milk and juice is not included. We always find it is much more cost effective for us to go that way than buy individuals drinks but we typically are staying 4-7 days at a resort.

You can go in the picture gallery on this site and look at the decor of the room. I believe they have several different pictures. Not sure about the best mansion to request, perhaps someone can help you with that. We always stay in the AB section.