Just back from 5 night stay at POR!

[mom22boys]

We just returned from a five night stay at POR. Overall, we had a very pleasant stay.

Check-in was smooth and quick. We had requested AB. At first we were assigned to Oak Manor, but after asking the CM checking us in to be placed in the AB near the west depot our room assignment was quickly changed.

We were in room #3423. Our room was clean and in great shape. Besides one small scratch on the wall, probably due to someone's suitcase, I would say our room showed little wear. The carpeting, drapes, and bedspreads were all nice. Our room was very clean. I was impressed with the cleanliness of the bathroom. Our mousekeeper was Marie A. and we tipped her every day for a job well done. Building #34 used to be a smoking optional building. We could not smell any cigarette smoke, and trust me I have a nose that can pick that scent up anywere. I was actually thinking that our room might have been in such great shape because it was recently converted to a non-smoking room.

As for the room location, when I asked to be place near the west depot, I had no idea she would place us so close to the bus stop. Our room looked out directly to the path that leads to the west depot. I kind of felt like we were at the very end of the resort, rather than in the resort itself. But the location was very convenient to the bus stop. As far as the other resort amenities, we were 5-10 minute walk from everything else (it all depended on how fast those kiddos were walking!). One little trick when walking through the AB, the paths are very curvy, sometimes the quickest route means walking through the middle of one of the buildings rather than walking around it. Here are some room locations pics:

This was the view from our room. This is the path that leads you right to the west depot bus stop.

I will continue my review in the next post!

 

[monkeygirl]

Welcome back and glad you had a nice trip. We stayed there in Dec. of 05 and we loved it. It is such a beautiful resort.

 

[darlak]

We'll be there in 5 days! I'm hoping you'll get more pics posted before then. We've stayed there before, but it was a few years ago.

 

[MommyBuzz909]

I can't wait - we'll be here in July!!

 

[pixie dust 112]

7 days from now I will be about 1/2 hour away from landing at MCO and waiting for the Magical Express to whisk my family away to POR. Our favorite resort! Thanks for the pictures!

 

[mom22boys]

We found all of the POR CMs to be pleasant, competent, and efficient. We used the concierge to upgrade tickets, bell services to deliver groceries, and maintenance to "tweek" our refrigerator. We were very pleased with the service they all provided.

We ate at the Riverside Mill Food court on three different occassions for lunch and dinner. My favorite was the make you own salad station. Lots of great choices and they were all very fresh. We also enjoyed the make your own pasta station, my only complaint though would be about the chicken at the pasta station. The chicken at the salad station was much better quality in my opinion. The chicken at the pasta station was kind of scary. And yes, it is two different types of chicken. The chicken at the salad station is pre-cooked and appears to be grilled. The chicken at the pasta station was cooked there for you. However, we found all the other choices at the pasta station to be great. Once I picked out the chicken I had a very enjoyable meal. One nice area at the food court is the Duplo Lego table. After eating the kids enjoyed just playing at the Duplo table. Ironically, they haven't played with Duplo Legos at home in years, but at WDW I think they just appreciated the down time.

We found the grounds at POR to be lovely. There are many pictures on the boards of this beautiful resort, so I will include just a few taken of my favorite spots.

I loved the quiet pools at POR. These pictures do not do them justice. They are just so pretty.

I loved these lights. So quaint!

When staying at POR a walk around the resort is a must do. This was one of my favorite spots.

Here is a picture of the boat dock taken from across the river.

This picture was taken just outside the lobby. I absolutely loved this area. It was definitely my style.

And then I can't forget to include a picture of the kid's favorite area! The new playground is very nice! Our DSs really enjoyed their freedom here. On the backside of this piece of equipment is a rock climbing piece. The kids had fun making up all kinds of adventure stories.

Up next, I will review POR transportation. I will give only the facts and I will let you decide if the "buses are horrible at POR" like so many have posted on the boards. To be honest, I am still reflecting on our bus situation.

 

[DJ Disney Kid]

We'll be there in 5 days! I'm hoping you'll get more pics posted before then. We've stayed there before, but it was a few years ago.

Pics?
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1730158

 

[chickenskin]

Glad you had a great stay, we're counting down the days ourselves, getting very excited.

 

[db2dzny]

I'm sooo excited to see your posts and your pics. DH,DS11,
DS11 & I are seriously considering staying here in Nov.'08.
How old are your sons? And how did they like it? I noticed you've stayed @CBR and CSR. Of the 3 moderates you've stayed, which did you and/or your kids like best?

 

[mom22boys]

On our first park day we were trying to get to Epcot. When we walked up to the west depot, one family was waiting there. They asked us what bus we were waiting for and we told them Epcot. They told us that we had just missed an Epcot bus. We ended up waiting 16 minutes for the next Epcot bus. During that sixteen minutes we saw three MK buses, an AK bus, and a HS (Hollywood Studios bus). We chalked our 16 minute wait up to "bad bus luck." The buses seemed to be running pretty frequently. When the EP bus arrived it was nearly empty and we had a seat no problem.

After visiting EP in the morning we boated over to HS. We left HS around 4:30 p.m. We waited at the bus stop with only one family in front of us and the wait was only 13 minutes. We obviously had a seat on the bus. Our reflection after day one, POR buses were just fine.

On day two we were trying to sneak into MK for morning EMH. When we arrived at the bus stop at 7:30 a.m. there were two families already waiting for an MK bus. The one family claimed to have been there for 15 minutes already. We waited about 20 minutes for a MK bus. When the bus arrived it was standing room only. After picking up our load, we drove right past the north and east depot without stopping. Both of those stops were full of people waiting, and I can only guess that they were waiting for an MK bus because during our 20 minute wait we had many buses stop for the other parks. As far as our travel time, we were pulling into MK by 8:05 a.m. which means our travel time to the MK was only 35 minutes. We know that even with a rental car we couldn't have gotten to MK quicker than that. I just felt badly for all of the people standing at the north and east depots that had to watch an MK bus drive right past them. My honest reflection was that on an EMH morning they should have had more POR buses running.

After a couple of hours at MK we boated over to WL to have breakfast at WCC. From WL we took the bus to AK. We stayed at AK until after park closing. We had stayed for the 4:45 p.m. show of Nemo. After Nemo we leisurely left the park. We all used the restroom and we returned the stroller. When we arrived at the bus stop we were pleasantly surprised to have a POR bus waiting for us. The bus was only half full and we easily had a seat. Our reflections after day two, were mixed. I truly felt they should have had more buses running for morning EMH.

On day three we took a break. We enjoyed a morning stroll and stop at the playground. Then we took the first boat to DTD. The boat ride was very pleasant and there were plenty of boats on the water. In our opinion the boat service to DTD is very efficient.

On day four we wanted to head back to the MK. We decided whichever bus arrived first either EP or MK we would jump on. The EP bus pulled up right as we walked up to the bus stop. It was nearly empty so we had no problem getting a seat. After arriving at EP, we walked up the ramp to the monorail and asked if we could "drive" the monorail. The platform was empty so it was no problem. We had a great experience riding to the TCC and then at the TCC we switched monorails. It was a great way to travel to the MK. We were still one of the first ones to arrive at MK.

We stayed at MK until about 1:30 p.m. When we walked out to the bus stop there was already one family waiting. We had a nine minute wait for the bus and we easily had a seat.

After MK we took a rest and had a swim at the resort. We then wanted to head to EP for Illuminations. We went to the bus stop around 5:30 p.m. This was the night of a P&PP. There were many MK buses running. We had a 19 minute wait for an EP bus. When the bus arrived it was standing room only. However, it was also bringing many people home from EP. After stopping at the very next bus stop our DSs were able to sit. We continued to stand to allow other people's children to sit.

We enjoyed a great evening at EP, however at the end of the night we just didn't feel like dealing with the crowds. We walked out of IG and walked straight to BC. There we picked up cab. We had a very nice cab driver, a clean cab, and seatbelts that worked. For $15 we were back to our resort within 15 minutes. Sometimes in life we just feel it is worth it to pay the extra money for convenience.

So what do we think of the POR buses after our limited experience? Overall, we were fine with them. We didn't think you could ask for all that much more. However, everyone is different. A 16 minute wait for some is too long, but for us we were on vacation, we were together, and we were at WDW. We were happy! Hope this helps someone out there!

 

[MommyBuzz909]

So I'm guessing the west depot is the best bus stop to be at??

 

[mom22boys]

I'm sooo excited to see your posts and your pics. DH,DS11,
DS11 & I are seriously considering staying here in Nov.'08.
How old are your sons? And how did they like it? I noticed you've stayed @CBR and CSR. Of the 3 moderates you've stayed, which did you and/or your kids like best?

Our oldest DS is 7 1/2 and our youngest is soon to be 5. They loved POR! They were very happy staying in the AB. It has a cabin feel that appealed to them. I do not think they would have been as happy in the "fancy" mansions. The main pool has a decent slide. We never made it to the arcade, but I have read positive reviews about it.

We have only stayed at OKW and Pop on Disney property. I would have to say out of the three POR is my favorite. I did like our balcony at OKW, but the food court at POR is so much better than the little quick service stand at OKW.

Sorry I can't compare it to CSR or CBR. Maybe someday. One can dream, right?

 

[mom22boys]

So I'm guessing the west depot is the best bus stop to be at??

That is what I had read previously, so that is why I had asked to be near it, but I honestly could not make heads or tails of the route the buses took. I tried asking one of the bus drivers about the routes and he said it all depends on where the buses have been dispatched from. Sometimes they stop at POFQ first and then go straight to the POR west depot. Sometimes they stop at POR south depot w/o stopping at POFQ and then go to the POR west depot. I honestly was very confused about the routes and I am a person who likes logic.

 

[MagicalEars]

Glad you had a great time!

That pic of the area outside the lobby is one of my favorite places in POR. It's very beautiful both at night and during the day, not to mention it has a very calm feeling to it. It's also where our DD was able to get her hair braided and where we picked up the carriage ride.

You are totally right about them needing more buses for EMH. This is something that has been a problem is all the years we've visited WDW, it's really odd. Glad to hear they had allot of buses running for the P&PP though.

Personally I prefer the old smaller buses Disney used in the past. They just seemed more effective.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

OP, you are very fortunate to get switched to AB! On my 2 stays at POR, I tried twice to get AB and was refused flat both times. I know I would love to stay in AB, as I like that out-doorsy look with wandering paths and lush vegetation. But I always get the mansions no matter what I do, so I guess AB and I will never meet! Glad you had a great time!

 

[JoAnnPan]

Thanks for sharing!

I am hoping for an AB room in a couple of weeks - but it will just be my sister & I...so I am not sure if they will put us there..our TA requested that section on our reservation, but I know that probably doesn't mean much..our fingers are crossed .