Just back from POR - Questions?

[wendy1974]

Hi: It is a beautiful resort. Can you tell me if you noticed whether the magnolia trees were in bloom or have they finished blooming.

Thanks,

Deb.

I will be at POR this weekend so I do not know what the Magnolia trees are doing there but I can tell you that they abound here in Louisiana. In fact, I have one in my front yard that is blooming right now so it is the time of year for them to start blooming

 

[MAC3]

So excited to hear such great responses for POR (usually it's negative feedback).......we are looking forward to trying this resort for ourselves in 6 weeks and it sounds fabulous.

 

[WDWendy]

Did you have a car with you? If yes, did you feel it was wasted? If not, would you get one if you went again?

I have been having a hard time deciding if we will be renting a car or not while we are at POR. On one hand, although there are some complaints, Disney Transportation seems really convenient and it's free, how nice is that? On the other hand, we are going to see Hoop-Dee-Doo one night, but I am having a hard time justifying a car for a whole week. It is a tough choice for us.

Right now we are planning on taking a town car from the airport to the Royal Pacific Hotel then another to Port Orleans Riverside (using DME to get to airport on return segment). Renting a car for the entire vacation would about a $100 more. I just can't decide.

This and which hotel to pick have been my only two problem questions for our whole trip. Although DH made the hotel question go away when he fell in love with POR in our guide books!

Thanks for posting the pool info too! DH and I were not sure how the pool at POR would be and it is nice to get the opinion of someone who has been there.

 

[jenr812]

This and which hotel to pick have been my only two problem questions for our whole trip. Although DH made the hotel question go away when he fell in love with POR in our guide books!

Just wondering what guidebooks you are referring to? I am looking for some

 

[WDWendy]

The resort information in the Passporter-Walt Disney World Resort book is excellent. It had tons of information on each of the Disney Resorts including transportation times and resort eatery info. It was also small enough and organized such that DH could browse the resorts without reading for hours.

For overall information though, I really liked the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2005. It had all the transportation times and lots and lots and lots more. The resort descriptions were not as colorful as in the Passporter though. It is a huge book and has tons of great information and suggestions. It also had some funny antecdotes and (be forewarned) some sarcasm. Something about Mickey and low-carb'ing if I remember right! Overall it was a terrific read.

I also found an Insight Guides/Discovery book titled Walt Disney World Resort & Orlando that had terrific pictures. We are spending a few days at Universal and DS (12) got so excited looking at the huge color photos of the rides that it was worth buying for that alone. There was something about Disney that they could not print photos of the rides though, which was a too bad. As a tour book though, it had quite a bit of outdated information and very brief descriptions of the rides.

Whew, that was long winded. Sorry if I shared too much!

 

[duck_adoo]

Hi Wendy,
We will also be at POR and doing Hoop-dee-doo (Aug 20-27). We're planning on taking the bus/or boat to downtown disney then hopping the bus to Fort Wilderness.
Cheryl

 

[DisneyMom2Reese]

Hi. I don't think you need a car really..........
We drove the van up, but we live down in South Florida. Once up there we took the boat and/or the bus everywhere. Much easier that way. But on the other hand some people prefer to drive.
You are going to LOVE the Hoop-Dee-Doo! It is FANTASTIC!!!! Bring lots of film. My girls and I had a blast.

 

[Atotty]

We were at POR last year. We used Disney transportation for everything except for dinners at Chef Mickey's Park Faire. Getting to parks, BB, TL, etc. is very easy. But getting from one hotel to the other isn't without a car because you have to transfer somewhere...a park, TTC, or DTD...and it takes time...sometimes lots of time.

We went to play putt putt at Fantasia one night and decided to go to DTD by boat to eat and then take the bus to Swan and Dolphin from there. HUGE mistake. Travel time alone was about an hour and a half each way.

You can always get a taxi...not that expensive if you're only going to need it a few times.


JMHO,

 

[SDFgirl]

Did you have a car with you? If yes, did you feel it was wasted? If not, would you get one if you went again?

I have been having a hard time deciding if we will be renting a car or not while we are at POR. On one hand, although there are some complaints, Disney Transportation seems really convenient and it's free, how nice is that? On the other hand, we are going to see Hoop-Dee-Doo one night, but I am having a hard time justifying a car for a whole week. It is a tough choice for us.

Right now we are planning on taking a town car from the airport to the Royal Pacific Hotel then another to Port Orleans Riverside (using DME to get to airport on return segment). Renting a car for the entire vacation would about a $100 more. I just can't decide.

This and which hotel to pick have been my only two problem questions for our whole trip. Although DH made the hotel question go away when he fell in love with POR in our guide books!

Thanks for posting the pool info too! DH and I were not sure how the pool at POR would be and it is nice to get the opinion of someone who has been there.

Hi there,

We did not have a car at WDW and didn't miss it at all. Frankly, if you don't want to go off-site, I just feel they're a big pain in the butt! I love the feeling of not worrying about car keys, getting directions, carrying luggage, locking the car doors...it's nice just to rely on Disney transportation for everything. Even if it takes a little longer, it just adds to the "vacation" feel of having someone else be responsible for everything.

I think it would be easy to get to Hoop-de-doo. Just take the resort bus to the Magic Kingdom, then get on the boat over to Fort Wilderness/Wilderness Lodge. It will take a bit longer than driving yourself, true, but the boat is fun!

Also, people are asking about the campfire. We never saw anything about a campfire down there in the literature they gave us upon check in. I'm not sure if this is just a seasonal thing, or they don't offer it anymore, but...we didn't hear a peep about it.

Also, about the magnolias...we didn't see any, but the whole place smelled wonderful, like flowers...

 

[maliboomer]

How does it compare to other onsite resorts? Specifically some of its Deluxe counterparts.

 

[cowtownmom]

We'll be there in just 26 days! I cannot wait!

It seems like I remember reading another post somewhere that said the campfire was on 'Ol Man Island.

 

[mommykds]

--bump--

 

[NCombs]

We'll be there in just 26 days! I cannot wait!

It seems like I remember reading another post somewhere that said the campfire was on 'Ol Man Island.

I don't think POR has a campfire but don't quote me. 'Ol Man Island is the swimming pool.

 

[sprout694]

Would you stay at POR again? We are going in early Nov. - first time to Disney in 25 years. I'm nervous about the resort. It will be me, my mom (way young for being a grandma) and my two sons, 7 and 5. Enough room?

 

[Atotty]

When we were there last May, I asked about the campfire and was told it was seasonal and only held in the cooler months.

It may have changed, though, so never hurts to ask.

 

[WDWendy]

Thanks SDFgirl and DisneyMom2Reese! This is my last thing to plan and then our vacation is pretty much set. I'm SO excited!!