POR advice

[west texas]

we are staying at POR the week after Christmas. This is our first time to DW. (we are Disney Land vets, and my kids are older, and not into the character and "little child" things). I've done lots of research, and am looking forward to our trip and stay at Riverside, but am needing more advice from real people and not my travel agent!!

Myself, HUsband, son-16, daughter-12, daughter-11
I thought i wanted mansion area, but was told with 5 people we had to have alligator bayou. I wanted close to a bus stop, (my husband has bad knees, but was told the"outer"bldgs, are less crowded, and have more private like pools, my kids and I don't mind walking a little further, to the main bldg, and arcade, and the boat launch.

I didn't know if i should request a corner room, or bldg "14' or what, any advice? I know we will have a great time, i just wanted to make sure our trip pleases the "older kids"

 

[SGMCO]

We are a Family of 3.
Me, DH and DS 12 years old.
DH loved POR and thought we went deluxe resort this past trip.
DS loved POR, he loved the pool and the Boat Ride to DTD.
The atmosphere is great because it is not overboard Disney--
it has a very nice balance to it. This is a wonderful
Resort to come back to after a long day at the parks.
You will enjoy the TS and CS Restaurants there is enough varity for
everyone.
There is also a Hot Tub for the Adults and an arcade for the kids.
With the boat Ride to DTD, we enjoyed
exploring all of the cool shops and your older kids may enjoy
Disney Quest (the virtual Theme Park) we spent 2 days there whenever
the weather was bad.
I would pack an airmatress because the trundle bed is for smaller
kids and since yours are older they may not fit on it--You can also
rent a rollaway but airmatress from home is much cheaper.
If I were you I would request a building closer to the Main Buildings on the
1st floor for your Husbands sake because the walking might get to him.
When making that request let them know about his medical condition and you
are more likely to get what you need. AB starts behind the Rivermill CS Restaurant
and that is a good location to have. I walked over in that area and didn't see anymore
people there than any other section of the resort.

 

[ehrn]

well, your TA can request this location but it's not a guarantee. We requested alligator bayou but didn't get it because they needed the rooms for parties of 5. We ended up I think in Magnolia Bend, standard view but our rooms overlooked a lovely fountain. We did get connecting rooms which was awesome. It was a nice walk to the food court, close to parking.
We rent a car and I much prefer POR or FQ for the ease of parking. It's a serene resort that is just wonderfully relaxing. Our last stay was Pop which was very noisy and just had so much less atmosphere for my taste.
We also LOVE the boat to DTD. My parents went to the piano bar almost every night, they have a great entertainer there-and it is family friendly.
You can rent water craft, surrey bikes, take carriage rides...I just LOVE it!!!! And the food court is very handy. Even if a deluxe was in my budget, I think this is still at the top of my list!

 

[bsbrady]

Remember one thing, if your DH has bad knees, request a lower floor room, because only the Magnolia section has elevators. If your concern is walking around too much, I would ask for a room as close to the main building as possible. We were at POR and our room was at least a 10 minute walk to the main building.

 

[cart-mom]

POR is a beautiful resort and the best way to hope for a room/location request is to call or fax the resort directly days before your arrival. There are no guarantees, but they will do their best to accomodate your needs. One thing to consider is the trundle bed. From what I've heard on these boards, it is quite small. You might want to consider a self-inflating mattress. They roll up small enough to fit in a suitcase and you don't need any machines to inflate them. My son uses it camping with the scouts.

These boards are a great resource, so I'm sure you will have a great time and get all the information you need.

 

[allaboard]

Hey West Texas!
We just came home from our trip to WDW ... have gone last several years ... and once again stayed at POR. We are a family of 5 and have stayed three times in Alligator Bayou. I am pretty sure that the only reason we are still able to get into the room with 5 is because our youngest is 9 and under for that trundle bed. I do not think they will give you one room with 5 people unless someone is that age or younger. I believe you would have to get two rooms/adjoining. We have had that in our minds for some time since we love the POR and affording two rooms will be difficult unless all of the sudden one of us makes a ton more money. We've been so glad to have a child young enough and small enough for the trundle. That said, our smallest child slept on it, but he is not the youngest. The youngest, our 8 years old girl, slept in a bed with her 12 yr old sister, and our 10 year old son, who is the smallest, slept okay in the trundle. He's 68 lbs and I can't see anyone any bigger being okay on it. But it worked for us at least this time. Good luck on your plans and check into those specifics before trying to book!!

 

[west texas]

thanks so much for all the great info. we already have the AB room booked with the trundle, but i'll def. take a blow up mattress, my kids aren't smallish!! I know it'll be great, i'm a message board and a DW novice, but I have until December!

 

[stitch and co]

Myself, HUsband, son-16, daughter-12, daughter-11
I thought i wanted mansion area, but was told with 5 people we had to have alligator bayou. I wanted close to a bus stop, (my husband has bad knees, but was told the"outer"bldgs, are less crowded, and have more private like pools, my kids and I don't mind walking a little further, to the main bldg, and arcade, and the boat launch.

I didn't know if i should request a corner room, or bldg "14' or what, any advice? I know we will have a great time, i just wanted to make sure our trip pleases the "older kids"

You family is very close in ages to mine and we all love to stay at POR. We have stayed in AB bldgs 14, 16, 26, and 27. Our favorite building is#27 in terms of location to a quiet (private) pool, the main building and the distance to the main bus stop in front of the resort (South I think). The first floor is a better option to request if your DH's knees are bad. I just twisted my knee this last trip and, of course, we had a second floor room. Only one flight of stairs to get to our room but no flight would have been easier.

At the time of year you are going the resort, at least in 2003 and 2007 when we went the week after Christmas, the outer buildings are not less crowded. The resort was booked solid both times.

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

We stayed in AB building 15 but on the backside. We faced the parking lot. We had no problem with noise. We were around the corner from a quiet pool and right across the parking lot from a bus stop. It was only a 3 minute walk to the restaurant.

My husband didn't like the windy paths. He is more of a straight line kind of guy. I liked the paths except I got lost at first.

Loved the boat to DTD. We went once on the day that we got there. It was a great way to start. We didn't buy a ticket for this day.

My 11 year old was too big for the trundle and she was pretty short at the time. Don't tell her I said that. We didn't need it though since there is just the 2 of them. I just thought it might be good if they didn't have to share. It worked out fine.

Have a great time!!

 

[camdensmom]

The week after Christmas is sure to be very crowded so keep in mind a request is just a request.

However, I would think that if your DH got a doctor's you could be guaranteed a better location esp since there are no elevators in AB.

The rooms really are small and I think you will feel the size based on the ages of your children. If you are able to swing a deluxe I think you would be much more comfortable as the rooms are bigger and have 2 queen size beds.

POR is a very lovely resort and if you don't mind the tight quarters and lots of walking you will love it.