Just back from POR, lessons learned...

asaj

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Jan 12, 2005
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We just got back from 7 nights at POR. We (self, DW, 6yr old DD) went with
my parents, my brother, and my DW's mother. Also there at the same time
were our neighbors.

Overall, we had a good time. It was hot and muggy (typical), and also
seemed very busy. We did get to do everything we wanted, but it was busier
than we had anticipated. I am sure this was due to the free dining, as
everyone seemed to have it.

We will probably go back in a year or two, but here is what we will do
differently:

1. We won't take the entire family. This was fun, but really slowed us
down. Our moms always seemed to be 50 yards back, and we were by no means
hurrying. Was nice having them there, but it really made it tough to plan
things out with so many people. I doubt they will want to go back in the
near future anyways, they have had their fill for a while.

2. We will fly. With the Magical Express, I think it will be worth a few
bus hassles to not have to drive all the way there and back. We made the
Ohio to Florida trip 3 times this Summer, and this last trek was just
getting to be too much. Will probably be cheaper with gas the way it is as
well.

3. We will arrive on a Sunday, depart on the next Saturday. This time we
did Sunday to Sunday, but that last Saturday was jam packed. 90% of the
cars coming in were FL residents, so I'd just as well skip the big local
day, and head out that day.

4. We will NOT do the dining plan, unless it is offered free again. Don't
get me wrong, it was a great deal, but it also lead to a lot of planning to
make sure we got in to all of our restaurants, used our credits, etc, etc.
Last time we went, we played it by ear more, and it worked out better for
us. We don't necissarily want, or need a 2 hour dinner each day, but
that's what ended up happening more often than not. I don't want to start
a MWD debate, because it did save us a ton of money, I just think the WE
enjoy the flexibility of winging it. So, if we had a choice (and I know we
don't), I would prefer a room discount to free MWD for our next trip.

5. We will try to go at a different time of year, maybe early November.
October was really crowded this time, and still a bit hot for my liking.
Maybe early November would be less crowded, and a bit cooler.

6. We will stay at a deluxe, maybe Wilderness Lodge or Yacht/Beach Club.
We really liked POR, but the walk to the food court started to get old. We
were relatively close to everything, but it you just wanted to run and fill
up your mug, it was a bit far for that. I found that we didn't take
advantage of our mugs as much at POR as we did when we were at AKL, for
example. Overall though, no complaints about POR, definitely liked the
boat ride to DTD.

I think that's it. These aren't meant to be gripes, just things we will do
differently for our next trip when we go back. Right now, I'd say we'll
take a year off before going back, of course, that is subject to change.

Let me know if any questions.

Andy
 
Hi Andy!

I enjoyed reading your observations. We just got back from a trip September 21-October 5 and had some similar thoughts.

The beginning of our trip was quiet, but it picked up by the end, more than I was anticipating. I think it had to do with the free dining, as well as other things offered in October (Food & Wine Festival, MNSSHP, etc.)

Coming from Alaska, I thought it was very hot and muggy, and not what I am used to. At least when it wasn't crowded, it didn't bother me too much. If I had been in large crowds with heat...UGH!

I so hear you about going with extended family. I've usually done that in the past, and while it is nice to vacation together, there is a 'freedom' of just being your own family. You can do what you want, when you want. Like you, not a complaint, just an observation.

I also agree with the Saturday observation. We just hung out at the hotel because the parks were so crowded.

We did NOT use the Dining Plan, for lots of reasons. We weren't doing a package deal...we stayed off-site with AP's. Besides, one of my children has 'restaurant issues' (a VERY long story there) so counter service worked better for us. My kids complained the trip before that eating at table service restaurants took too much park time. We LOVE the flexibility of stopping at a counter service whenever we feel like it, and not being locked into a dining reservation. Maybe in the future when the kids are older, etc., but for now, we like the flexibility of winging it, too. For those that like table service, the MWD probably was a good deal?

I think we'll go in cooler weather, too, like maybe January.

I'm glad you had a good trip, and a good attitude. It's so refreshing to hear someone just making 'observations,' and not complaining.
 
asaj said:
We just got back from 7 nights at POR. We (self, DW, 6yr old DD) went with
my parents, my brother, and my DW's mother. Also there at the same time
were our neighbors.

Overall, we had a good time. It was hot and muggy (typical), and also
seemed very busy. We did get to do everything we wanted, but it was busier
than we had anticipated. I am sure this was due to the free dining, as
everyone seemed to have it.

We will probably go back in a year or two, but here is what we will do
differently:

1. We won't take the entire family. This was fun, but really slowed us
down. Our moms always seemed to be 50 yards back, and we were by no means
hurrying. Was nice having them there, but it really made it tough to plan
things out with so many people. I doubt they will want to go back in the
near future anyways, they have had their fill for a while.

I hear ya there. I had a great time with my dad and stepmom but we felt that we couldn't tour like we normally do and like to. Also they were a little slower than we are, nothing bad just slower. I had fun but like doing things with just my family too.

2. We will fly. With the Magical Express, I think it will be worth a few
bus hassles to not have to drive all the way there and back. We made the
Ohio to Florida trip 3 times this Summer, and this last trek was just
getting to be too much. Will probably be cheaper with gas the way it is as
well.

We went on DVC tour and our guide told us they are most likely doing it for the 50th celebration and not after that. Kind of one of those being a good neighbor thing. I guess they have heard a lot of complaints from Taxi companies and such who are losing tons of business because of them and the magical express because a lot of those companies rely on that business. And they want to be a good neighbor. Although I do agree with you on flying. We drive from MI to FL and its 19.5 hours over 2 days. UGH, what I wouldn't give to be there in 3 and be done with it.

4. We will NOT do the dining plan, unless it is offered free again. Don't
get me wrong, it was a great deal, but it also lead to a lot of planning to
make sure we got in to all of our restaurants, used our credits, etc, etc.
Last time we went, we played it by ear more, and it worked out better for
us. We don't necissarily want, or need a 2 hour dinner each day, but
that's what ended up happening more often than not. I don't want to start
a MWD debate, because it did save us a ton of money, I just think the WE
enjoy the flexibility of winging it. So, if we had a choice (and I know we
don't), I would prefer a room discount to free MWD for our next trip.

I agree here too. My dad had the free dining, we had our DDE card and it was so much nicer not having to worry about credits and such. We used 2 of there CS credits and they still have 4 left over by the end of the trip. They got some meals and planned on taking them home with them to have food on the drive home in the portable cooler.
 
asaj said:
Right now, I'd say we'll take a year off before going back

I wish DH & I had a dollar for every time we said the same thing. However, it has now been 16 years straight without a break...go figure. We just can't kick the habit. :teeth:
 

Cookie Princess said:
I wish DH & I had a dollar for every time we said the same thing. However, it has now been 16 years straight without a break...go figure. We just can't kick the habit. :teeth:

We were originally thinking we'd go back next Fall, to check out Expedition Everest, but we were so exhausted from this last trip, we are thinking about pushing it to 2008. So, it's still up in the air, we'll see. I am sure if they come out with some great deal next Fall, we'll be tempted...

Andy
 
While I am sure that more Florida residents hit the theme parks on weekends, there is really no way to tell by looking at cars. All of the rental car agencies in Florida have the same license plates as everyone else. Due to a problem a few years ago when tourists were being robbed because their cars were identifiable as rentals, rental cars in Florida cannot have anything on them to identify them as a rental.
 
asaj said:
2. We will fly. With the Magical Express, I think it will be worth a few
bus hassles to not have to drive all the way there and back. We made the
Ohio to Florida trip 3 times this Summer, and this last trek was just
getting to be too much. Will probably be cheaper with gas the way it is as
well.

...

4. We will NOT do the dining plan, unless it is offered free again. Don't
get me wrong, it was a great deal, but it also lead to a lot of planning to
make sure we got in to all of our restaurants, used our credits, etc, etc.
Last time we went, we played it by ear more, and it worked out better for
us. We don't necissarily want, or need a 2 hour dinner each day, but
that's what ended up happening more often than not. I don't want to start
a MWD debate, because it did save us a ton of money, I just think the WE
enjoy the flexibility of winging it. So, if we had a choice (and I know we
don't), I would prefer a room discount to free MWD for our next trip.

We decided we would no longer drive, too. It is just too much. The kids were very good on the trip, and we broke it up over 2 days, but it is just too much.

Now, I like having that break at a sit-down restaurant. The kids are in a stroller and I'm the one pushing it all over the park. I need the break that the sit down restaurant gives. I noticed that with the children, the waiters/waitresses get us in and out of the restaurants fast. So, it's not like we're there for 2 hours. At a counter service restaurant, it's a pain to get the children's food and my food to a table (if you can find one) while I'm carrying all the bags. My kids are older this trip so it won't be so hard. But trying to get a 3 or 4 year old to stay right next to me and I can't hold his hand because I'm carrying 3 meals....well, you get the picture!! lol. When dh is with us, it's not a problem, but when I'm by myself with the younger children it's kinda hard (not impossible, but hard).

Mary
 
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asaj said:
6. We will stay at a deluxe, maybe Wilderness Lodge or Yacht/Beach Club.
We really liked POR, but the walk to the food court started to get old. We
were relatively close to everything, but it you just wanted to run and fill
up your mug, it was a bit far for that. I found that we didn't take
advantage of our mugs as much at POR as we did when we were at AKL, for
example. Overall though, no complaints about POR, definitely liked the
boat ride to DTD.

Hi Andy!

We also had our first stay at POR recently (9/30-10/05). I also had mixed feelings about the resort. I really loved how beautiful it is, but like you, I felt it was too spread out. We were in Alligator Bayou Building 18, which is one of the closest ones to the food court, and it still felt a little too far away to be convenient. It was also a hassle getting to our car in the parking lot.

Deluxes are typically not in our budget range, but if I was going for a moderate, I think I would choose POFQ over POR - we stayed there last year, and I loved the combination of beauty, peaceful feeling, and the convenience of a much smaller resort.
 
Andy and all, thanks for the observations. We're trying to plan a trip for April however considered putting it off until next October. We went last year in February and while it was not crowded, it was COLD and I don't want to go again in that type of weather. Am trying to decide between the dining plan and the DDE and all this information helps. :sunny:
 
asaj said:
We were originally thinking we'd go back next Fall, to check out Expedition Everest, but we were so exhausted from this last trip, we are thinking about pushing it to 2008. So, it's still up in the air, we'll see. I am sure if they come out with some great deal next Fall, we'll be tempted...

Andy

If you are ANYTHING like us, if you even open the door of possibility for the next year even a CRACK, you might as well call for the reservations now, because you'll be there. I remember thinking how tired we were at the end of our trip this past Feb and saying we would wait a couple of years and here we are going in January now and can't wait!!! :rotfl:
 
Mary, we can definitely appreciate a nice sit-down meal while at WDW. I guess we had more of a problem with having to have every meal time set in stone (more or less). Sometimes we just weren't ready to eat when our ADR came up. Last time we went, we still had plenty of sit-down meals, but we did them when we felt the urge, and it was nicer. I understand with the free dining, that wasn't really an option this time though. However, it did seem like each of our sit-down meals took a solid 2 hours. That was a bit long for our taste.

LiteBrite, yes, overall we liked POR, but it was bigger than we are used to. POFQ might be a happy medium. We generally don't like to spend the $$$ on the deluxes either, but I have stayed at BC with a work conference, and we did AKL last trip because of a really good deal. We may do WL next time, it is a deluxe, but not quite as pricey as the others.

Jeannief, I don't think we'd ever go in April because of Spring Break crowds. With October being kind of busy, and still very hot this past trip, I think we'd try early November next time. Should be warm enough to swim, but not crazy hot. Also, I could be wrong, but I thought it was a slower time of year.

Tommygirl, yes, I am sure you are right...

Thanks all,
Andy
 
As far as the dining plan goes, we love the character meals, and usually plan (ADR) one for each day we are there anyway, so to have all the extra CS and snack credits is just a bonus. I am looking forward to not having to worry about paying for all those meals while we are there. :)
 
We just returned from POR as well and although we loved the resort (very beautiful), and the boat to DTD, we both said that we doubt we will be back at POR. The buses are just crazy there. One night after Epcot EMH, we saw 6 buses come and go before we were able to get on the seventh. It was insane. And the thing was, the parks were not even that crowded then. They need to do away with the resort bus sharing deal. I'm sure Disney can afford a few more buses so each resort can have their own. This would greatly cut down the wait times for these resorts.
 
LaLa said:
We just returned from POR as well and although we loved the resort (very beautiful), and the boat to DTD, we both said that we doubt we will be back at POR. The buses are just crazy there. One night after Epcot EMH, we saw 6 buses come and go before we were able to get on the seventh. It was insane. And the thing was, the parks were not even that crowded then. They need to do away with the resort bus sharing deal. I'm sure Disney can afford a few more buses so each resort can have their own. This would greatly cut down the wait times for these resorts.

We didn't have many issues with the busses at POR, outside of the normal hassles of using the busses. We eventually began driving, just because it took so long to get back to the resort after a long day at the parks.

Our friends stayed at CBR, and they had more issues with the busses than we did. They (along with a bunch of other people) waiting almost an hour at one of the bus stops at the resort for a MK bus, and one never showed. They didn't have a car, so they were at the mercy of the busses. They eventually took a bus to Epcot, and then the monorail to MK, but they were not very happy. So, I don't think the bus issue is a POR issue, so much as it is an issue with any of the large resorts. Just too many people trying to get to the same places.

For us, driving is just so much easier. Of course, if we were staying at one of the deluxes right there by the parks, we'd take the monorail, bus, etc, or maybe just walk.
 
asaj said:
. With October being kind of busy, and still very hot this past trip, I think we'd try early November next time. Should be warm enough to swim, but not crazy hot. Also, I could be wrong, but I thought it was a slower time of year.

Thanks all,
Andy

i just wonder what the difference in temps is. i thought from our weather it is still hovering around 90 now in fl( to warm and humid for asthma sufferers in family) and wondered also about early nov. temps, crowds and if it's value season( thinking it isn't)
 
asaj said:
We didn't have many issues with the busses at POR, outside of the normal hassles of using the busses. We eventually began driving, just because it took so long to get back to the resort after a long day at the parks.

Our friends stayed at CBR, and they had more issues with the busses than we did. They (along with a bunch of other people) waiting almost an hour at one of the bus stops at the resort for a MK bus, and one never showed. They didn't have a car, so they were at the mercy of the busses. They eventually took a bus to Epcot, and then the monorail to MK, but they were not very happy. So, I don't think the bus issue is a POR issue, so much as it is an issue with any of the large resorts. Just too many people trying to get to the same places.

For us, driving is just so much easier. Of course, if we were staying at one of the deluxes right there by the parks, we'd take the monorail, bus, etc, or maybe just walk.

We stayed at CBR last year and Coronado Springs the year before and although the buses were really crowded as well at CBR the same time last year, I don't ever remember having the waits like we did this year. Maybe just luck of the draw (or unluck :rotfl: ) Coming back from MK, we waited for a really long time for each bus. Maybe we were spoiled with Coronado Springs from a couple of years ago because the buses there were never crowded and the longest we ever waited for a bus was 10 min tops. And that was in the middle of July. Maybe because they are the convention resort, more people there for business instead of pleasure??? Who knows. I guess it's just that the transportation system to and from the parks is one of the big draws for staying onsite that you just get a little frustrated when you have to wait for over 30 minutes with tired little ones at the end of the day for a bus. Also, I have never seen in years past the amount of people using those motorized wheelchairs as we have this last trip. These are not wheelchairs and not handicapped people. There were just a few times that we didn't have to wait for them to be loaded first, which takes up lots of seats and also takes about an extra 10 minutes or so in itself. Has Disney just recently started renting these things to just anybody that wants them? Just trying to figure out why so many of them this trip when before we hardly saw any.
 
We were at POR OCT 13-16 and thought the buses were great. Sounds like you just had a run of bad luck, we never waited more than ten minutes for a bus and almost always got a seat...except for 10/13 at 5 in the evening heading to MNSSHP. :flower:

We also did not always share a bus with POFQ, some buses were Riverside only. Especially on busy mornings and park closings.
 
I can sympathize with the extended family comments. We've gone twice with my parents (who I swear move slowly to antagonize me) and my middle sister's family which was wonderful.

My parents now want to join us one trip AND bring my younger sister with her family. NO WAY!!! She is soooo difficult in even the most benign situation. She would argue with me over every detail it would be awful.
 
jann1033 said:
i just wonder what the difference in temps is. i thought from our weather it is still hovering around 90 now in fl( to warm and humid for asthma sufferers in family) and wondered also about early nov. temps, crowds and if it's value season( thinking it isn't)

I have to think it'd still be in the 80s in Nov (too lazy to do the research at the moment). So, it'd be warm enough to swim still, but hopefully not so warm as to have you sweating like a pig all day. I know Nov is not value season anymore, but I'd be fine paying a little more if the temps were lower and the crowds down....

Andy
 
In early November the temps should run in the low 80's most days, with the mornings and evenings being a bit cooler (beautiful weather, IMHO)--and it's a LOT less humid, which is a HUGE bonus. :)
 














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