Just back from POR 9/20-9/28

[ILuvWDWorld]

Just got back from POR yesterday afternoon and have a few quick thoughts. We're a family of 5 (me, DH, DS10, DS8, and DD3).

We were not really sure how we would like the resort after the Poly last year and WL and AKL on previous years. (We have stayed at POFQ, but only my DH and me.)

THEMING: We loved it. The resort didn't seem as large as what we thought it would be. We were actually in Building 14, but I think I would request 27 next time so that we could enjoy the landscaping a little more.

ROOM: The room size was adequate for our family of 5. The beds were comfortable. Housekeeping was fine and left some very cute towel animals on our last full day. I did prefer the storage at the Poly though (2 closed closets) and the drawers.

FOOD COURT: We loved the variety that the food court offered, especially for dinner. DH loved the carved beef station. The dessert/bakery items were delicious. Overall, I liked the station idea. Sometimes, for our family of 5 though, it was difficult to navigate. Each child would want something from a different station. My younger 2 kids needed me to order for them so we were jumping lines. This was really only a problem during breakfast hours and sometimes lunch. Service was fast and food was good. We actually tried to make it back here for lunch to avoid the theme park lunch lines since we take an afternoon break anyway.

BUSES: Okay, I know this has been talked about a lot on the boards. We were not terribly frustrated with the buses but not really satisfied either. On Thursday (around 10:00) we waited for a bus for MK for a while. While waiting, we watched 5 Animal Kingdom/BB buses come through, 3-4 Downtown Disney/TL buses, and 3 MGM buses in a row. Our favorite bus service experience has been at AKL. We chose to ride the bus to MK our first day (we have a car, but didn't want to park, tram, and monorail over to MK). At closing, the bus line was packed, but it was a fairly reasonable wait for closing time BUT it had POURED that night (with lightning), so we wondered what it would normally be like. We took the bus to MGM the next day since we weren't staying til' closing. After that we drove to MGM, Epcot, AK, TL, and BB using the bus only for MK. Even at closing, we would walk straight on to the tram that would take us to our car; no traffic exiting the park either. If we stay at POR again, I'm sure we'll be driving a lot.

Overall, we were very please with our stay at POR. I think we would stay again. The staff was always very friendly. We didn't have any rude CM's at the hotel (the parks were a different story.)

P.S. - We only saw a few love bugs on the trip. (probably 20) Last year they were horrible. We didn't have any on our car on the trip down, but coming home they were everywhere through N. Florida.

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

Thanks for posting . . .we'll be there in 11 days!! This will also be our first stay at a moderate resort. Having the 2 rooms will be nice for a change.

 

[mommyxiii]

Thanks for your report, but I have a question for you. Having stayed at all Deluxe Resorts in the past (GF, Cont, BW), we have now decided that with three kids, two of them teenagers, that we can no longer stay in one room. For that reason, we booked two rooms at Port Orleans Riverside. From all of the reports I have seen on this board and TripAdvisor, people have been quite happy with the resort. Will I be disappointed in POR, or am I just being snobby? The main issue that people seem to complain about is the housekeeping. How was it?

Thanks,

Kathy

 

[LeahA]

Thank you so much for your trip report. Our family is going during spring break next year and we also have 3 boys, ages, 10-7-4. We have also stayed at the POLY and at WL so we were concerned about the room size at POR. DId your oldest sleep on the trundle bed? I think my oldest son might be to long for it, so maybe my middle son can be the one to sleep on it.

We also will be driving so we will have a car, during spring break week, I think we will be driving alot!

 

[Hawk]

Thanks for your report, but I have a question for you. Having stayed at all Deluxe Resorts in the past (GF, Cont, BW), we have now decided that with three kids, two of them teenagers, that we can no longer stay in one room. For that reason, we booked two rooms at Port Orleans Riverside. From all of the reports I have seen on this board and TripAdvisor, people have been quite happy with the resort. Will I be disappointed in POR, or am I just being snobby? The main issue that people seem to complain about is the housekeeping. How was it?

Thanks,

Kathy

mommyxiii;

You won't be disappointed. Don't forget to request "connecting rooms" if you want a door from your room to your kids room. We have found this to be the most convenient.

Tim/Hawk

 

[ILuvWDWorld]

Thanks for your report, but I have a question for you. Having stayed at all Deluxe Resorts in the past (GF, Cont, BW), we have now decided that with three kids, two of them teenagers, that we can no longer stay in one room. For that reason, we booked two rooms at Port Orleans Riverside. From all of the reports I have seen on this board and TripAdvisor, people have been quite happy with the resort. Will I be disappointed in POR, or am I just being snobby? The main issue that people seem to complain about is the housekeeping. How was it?

Thanks,

Kathy

I think 2 rooms would be great. We really enjoyed the resort itself - scenery, landscaping, etc. We had no problems with housekeeping.

 

[ILuvWDWorld]

Thank you so much for your trip report. Our family is going during spring break next year and we also have 3 boys, ages, 10-7-4. We have also stayed at the POLY and at WL so we were concerned about the room size at POR. DId your oldest sleep on the trundle bed? I think my oldest son might be to long for it, so maybe my middle son can be the one to sleep on it.

We also will be driving so we will have a car, during spring break week, I think we will be driving alot!

All 3 of my kids slept on the trundle (they had to take turns the entire trip, because they all wanted to sleep on it.) None of them had any problems and fit comfortably. I think the room size is comparable to the standard rooms at WL and AKL. You just lose the entrance area and balcony.

 

[Harvest02]

Oh good! Another mostly positive report on POR! We are looking forward to our first stay there in 23 days!!!!

 

[momtolittlered]

Sorry but I have to ask, what are love bugs???

 

[Carys]

Thanks for the good review! It is a nice positive note on which I will turn off the computer and head to the airport to catch flights all the way from down under to Orlando where I am staying at POR for 11 nights. It was great of you to post a report so quickly after your trip.

 

[DRRluvsWDW]

OP-
Thanks for posting! Glad to hear a good report. We are excited, though our trip is over a year away!