My POR review 1/31-2/8

[Poohmom]

We are a family of 5 who stayed at POR 1/31 - 2/8.

The good: The resort was very nice and clean! Our room seemed to have been redone recently. It was quiet. We loved that the sinks/mirrors were outside of the bathroom. The maid often displayed my dds mickey and minnie in special ways. The gift shop had lots of merchandise. We were in bldg 28. Our bus stop was the first pickup point, so we always got a seat.

The ok: It was quite a walk to the food court/bus stop/main pool area. There is only one hot tub on-site (not enough for the resort size). The food court did not have alot of selection (especially kids meals).

We used FL tours and had a grocery stop. This worked great for us because we bought breakfast foods and ate that in our room. There is an ice machine in each bldg and we brought a soft sided cooler. We also took water bottles and mini cans of soda to the parks. FL Tours was suppose to pick us up in a van, but they only had a limo available Now that was cool! We did have an issue with the final cost, but I gave them my confirmation and it was taken care of.

Overall, we really had a great time. The resort is very nice and feels safe. My dh wished they had more to do there. Music playing at the pool would have been nice. The boat to downtown disney is great!

The crowds were low all week until Saturday afternoon at MK. If you have any questions, just ask.

 

[CarrieAP]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[01Sweetpea]

We're leaving in 17 days to POR. What type of room did you have, were you happy in the AB section, were you kids happy there? and anything else you can tell me would be great!!

 

[Poohmom]

Because there are 5 of us, the AB section was our only option. It had a woodsy feel to it. The mansions were more open around them. We would stay at POR again. The rooms were very nice, and we had no problems with 5 of us in it. There is a small table with 2 chairs and plenty of storage space.

There was a place outside the food court where the kids could have their hair braided. There was a TV in the food court too. We took the boat to DD twice and had dinner there. There is a McDonalds the kids liked. My dh & I enjoyed Wolfgang Pucks pasta (the kids pizza was good too). Bus service was about every 15 minutes. The busses are very clean. Drinks of any kind at the food court are expensive ($2.50 water, soda bottle, etc). We didn't buy the mugs for $11.95 each, because we didn't eat there too much. You can get a can of soda from a machine in your bldg for $1 each.

If you decide to mini-golf, avoid Fantasia Mini-Golf unless you have a car. It took us 1 1/2 hours to just get there (you have to switch busses). I wish they'd have told me that at the front desk when I asked about it. I realized later on my own, that Blizzard Beach has a mini-golf course and a direct bus. Fantasia was nice, but alot of wasted time.

Have a great time!!!

 

[tassie42]

we are going to POR april 1. do you know if the pools there are open at night? My kids want to swim after dinner. they're looking forward to it as it is about 38 degrees today! Also do you know what a fair tip would be to the maid service? I have no idea! we haven't been on vacation in a LONG time!

 

[MinnieCruiser]

Poohmom,

Thanks for the information. We'll be at POR in less than 2 weeks!!
Do you have more info. on the hairbraiding, such as cost, hours they do it...?
Thanks alot!

 

[Poohmom]

The pools are open at night (I believe until 11pm). The main one seemed to be the only one heated. We swam after 8:30pm one night. There are no lifeguards on duty then though.

My 10yr old dd wanted her hair braided. She has medium length and they told her it would cost about $26... and that is for one very small braid on the side. We skipped it, but noticed others did it. It was open in the mornings and at lunch time (not sure when else). We had the girls faces painted at Animal Kingdom (cost $8 - 12 each near the safari ride), which they decided they wanted more than the braids. It stayed on all day and was very cute!

Have a fun time!

 

[DMRick]

In the past, all the pools were heated. I wonder if that has changed. Also, as long as it's not noisy, the "quiet" pools seemed to stay open all night. If a group of kids came and were loud, the security shut them down on our last visit. Although Disney lists it as a non tipping position, we tip $1 a night per person...as long as the room is cleaned good. We don't give more if we get towel animals, and we don't give less if we don't. We consider it a perk if it happens.