I think I've selected...reassurance please...family of 5...

[TnTWalter]

DH, myself & 3 Kids 7, 5, & 3

Unfortunately price excluded Wilderness Lodge [and AKL].

I also considered cabin but it was also expensive [same price without food or cart/car rental]. Although, would have loved the space.

So, we decided on POR. We probably won't use the trundle [have kid Aero beds].

I also wanted to look at CSR but it said max was 4.

So tell me special things about POR. We can use both pools I believe. And I heard there are carriage rides? How do I find out about this?

Water view is not that much more so we're getting that. But, is there a certain building you'd recommend trying for [if we can] becuase it's so spread out.

Any tips on getting around? Thanks so much. I have been digging through all the archives. Great tips.

Trish

 

[CharityLynn]

Check out this thread

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=396424

The people here on the DIS seem to really like this resort, I havem't stayed so I can't give you any specifics.

Have lots of fun!!

 

[TnTWalter]

I have been devouring this forum which really helped with the decision. I just wanted more tips and such too. Now I have to actually book it...still working with various TA s to get best deals....sigh.
Trish

 

[Nolcrest]

You will love POR. Look for my thread "POR Review w/PICS". (if I knew how to link it here, I would).

I think all the buildings are nice. For my family nothing was too far away.

Personally, I wouldn't spend the extra for a waterview. It's not like you'll have a balconey overlooking a lake or anything.

POR is our favorite moderate resort. Enjoy!!!!!!

 

[tmanaster]

My family stayed at POR in June for 8 nights and loved it. The bus service was pretty reliable, if at times slow in the evenings. The rooms are cute! Having the fridge in your room is nice. We stayed in a corner room which made it feel bigger. My mom stayed in a regular room and having that extra window just made it feel more spread out. Mousekeeping was great and we got towel animals every day. My kiddos loved this. The pool is great and the playground is nice too. We took the boat to DTD and had a great time. It was very convenient and fun. Check in was smooth and they were very helpful in trying to get my mom and sister's room near ours since they were only there for part of our trip. I did not eat at Boatwrights, but the food court was nice and had a nice ambiance in the dining room. The grounds are very pretty and have a wonderful relaxing feel to them. The resort was sold out during this time but never felt that way- it was so peaceful! Overall, I would definitely recommend this resort. You are going to have a blast!

HTH, Tricia
(mom to 3 littles princesses and one very spoiled prince!!)

 

[Lizzybee]

We love POR. Yes you can use several pools, but it does include two main themed pools, POR's Ole Man Island and POFQ's Doubloon Lagoon. There are also various "quiet" pools around the resort. I second Nolcrest's vote that I would definitely not spend the money on a waterview at POR. Not only might it be a view of a quiet pool or a just bigger than a puddle pond, but it also pretty much guarantees you won't be close to the main bldg/food court/restaurant and main bus stop. The closest bldgs 14, 15 and 18 I don't believe have "water view" rooms. Besides, when it comes to POR, all the views are of beautiful lush landscaping in serene surroundings. I don't think you could get a really bad view, unless maybe parking lot and that's a pretty small percentage of rooms. We LOVE Boatwrights for breakfast, I personally consider it the best breakfast of all time, either the blueprint omlette or the Sweet Potato Pancakes are outta this world. They also have banana stuffed thick french toast with a strawberry sauce. Bananas upset my stomache so I haven't tried it, but it looked simply decadent and I did hear pretty enthusiastic "MMMM's" from the people at the next table who had it. Also a plus at POR is the boat to DTD, it's a great change of pace for transportation. I have seen the horse drawn carriage rides going around, but haven't taken one, it would be so beautiful I'm sure those. They also rent bikes, surrey bikes and small boats. Bob Jackson, the all ages piano man, in the River Roost Lounge is a blast too.

 

[marathonmommy]

Without a doubt, you made the right choice. I've stayed at POFQ and CSR. I would NEVER stay at CSR again (unless of course, it was for free or close to it). We were so far away from the lobby/eating areas it was ridiculous. The theming at POFQ is also better. I know there will be those CSR lovers who will disagree, but I didn't care for the place at all!

 

[dixiedizfan]

You will love POR ... it's a beautifully themed resort and our favorite. However I sure wouldn't pay extra for a water-view room. I'd rather get a standard room overlooking any of their beautiful courtyards. We stayed in Alligator Bayou which is lushly landscaped. They have a huge themed main pool and several smaller quiet pools which are wonderful. The food court is great and your kids are sure to be impressed by the big water wheel there. There's also a boat you can take back and forth to Downtown Disney. You can also walk the footpath over to French Quarter and check it out. Don't be sad you had to "settle" for POR ... it's truly wonderful.

 

[ptrbryant]

You can see that we're Wilderness Lodge fans! However, last year, with the absence of discounts, WL had finally become out of our financial reach. We split our last stay between SSR and POR and--guess what! Even though SSR is considered "Deluxe", we preferred POR. We're in the planning stages of a May 2006 trip and are going to spend the whole vacation at POR with absolutely no regrets. In fact, I thought the grounds at POR were more beautiful than those at WL. The 2 things WL has going for it are the fanastic lobby and the fact that it has interior corridors with everything in one site. We were so charmed by POR, though, that we can no longer justify the price difference.
Have a great time!
Karla B.

 

[klj27]

We love POR! We did a split stay between there and CSR in July. We like POR so much more. CSR was nice, but we were a little disappointed with the resort and secretly wanted to go back to POR. Next summer we have a split stay between POR and WL. We are also a family of five, but this is our last trip with our youngest being under three. We are staying at WL while we still can.

 

[MonkeyPants]

I love Dixie Landings (now POR) stayed there twice. Its layout is great, very laid back, dare I say charming. Its a great choice and isnt too $$$


I should also say I stayed at CSR this june and sadly I wasnt impressed