POR advice?

[DissyLove]

Hello, I am trying out a new hotel that I know NOTHING about on my visit in June. I am taking (at least my two older kids, ages 5 and 7) and possibly my mom, staying at the Port Orleans Riverside resort.

I have never been there, and am looking for advice on getting around, good things to eat, the pool, best rooms, what to expect, etc.

I just like to be prepared as much as possible and am hoping to get the good, bad and ugly from people who have been there. Thanks!

 

[goofy4tink]

We love POR. That was our 'first' resort back in '99 when it was Dixie Landings. And we just booked it for our last two nights in June...24 and 25. We have stayed in both sections..Alligator Bayou and Magnolia Bend. The AB section is more rustic and spread out. The bldgs are only 2 levels. The furnishings are somewhat like sticks. Very laid back and informal. We stayed in a way out bldg and thought it would take forever to get to the food court area, but it didn't take more than 8 minutes. And I quite enjoyed the walk for coffee every morning! The Magnolia Bend area is much more formal. They look like southern mansions. There are probably 6 different bldgs there. We stayed in Magnolia Terrace. The furnishings were faux cherry and much more formal than AB. There are mostly 3 levels in these bldgs. but there is an elevator.

There are about 6 quiet pools spread out throughout the resort. And the main pool is on Ole Man Island. It is good size and has a terrific water slide! My dd loves the pool here..it was her very first water slide at age 6!!!! And you can get something 'cool' to drink at Muddy Waters, the pool bar. They also serve some food items.

The food court is good size. We tried to eat at more off times, instead of peak. It can get crowded then. We never had an issue with the quality of food or the offerings that were available. Dd is somewhat 'discriminating' about what she eats and she always found something to eat. And there is Boatwrights, a table service restaurant. Full service for all meals. We had dinner there and it was quite good.

The bus service was fine. There are several bus stops around the resort, so you might find one that works better for you. You can also take the boat to DowntownDisney. That's very nice, especially in the evening. If you aren't in a big hurry, take the boat to DTD, do some shopping, see the sights, get a bite to eat and then have a leisurely trip back on the boat. Just bring a sweater since it can get chilly.

Decent arcade but we don't use them very much. Let's see...anything I missed? Just ask. Can you tell that we love it here??!!!

 

[thedisneymom]

Thanks for all the nice information. Keep it up!! I love to hear anything about POR.

 

[DissyLove]

Thank you for all the info?
I have a couple questions. If you were me (taking 2 kids) would you want to be close to the food court, main pool?

Also, either section I should try to get in to?
Are there fridges in the rooms now?

How long from the resort by disney bus would you say it takes to get to MK, Epcot, MGM?

I heard about bike rentals, can I carry two kids on the passenger bikes? Do I need them to get around?
Looking forward to more info and gettting excited about our disney trip now!
Thanks again,

 

[goofy4tink]

Thanks for all the nice information. Keep it up!! I love to hear anything about POR.

Oh, I could go one forever. The landscaping is so nice that my dh would like to work there since he is so into yard work. We love the rabbits and ducks that hang out there. Just don't feed them!!! The smell there is so, oh I don't know, different from other resorts. I can't explain it.
You tend to get a deluxe feel for a moderate resort price here. River Roost is the cocktail lounge and it has the Piano Man Bob playing there. If he is playing when you're there, try to catch his show. Great for the kids too, which is nice. You can rent bikes and bike along the river down to POFQ.
Think I'll stop now...I'm making myself homesick.

 

[thedisneymom]

No, go on pleaseeeeeeeeee!

 

[thedisneymom]

Help! Now I'm totally confused. I just called the hotel and they said no rooms are available that fit our needs in Magnolia Terrace and special needs mad a mistake. they also said building 95 Pateree Place has our room but it is a water view which is more money. Adding to my confusion they said THIS is the building that is closest to the bridge and everything else! EXPERTS HELP!

 

[goofy4tink]

Help! Now I'm totally confused. I just called the hotel and they said no rooms are available that fit our needs in Magnolia Terrace and special needs mad a mistake. they also said building 95 Pateree Place has our room but it is a water view which is more money. Adding to my confusion they said THIS is the building that is closest to the bridge and everything else! EXPERTS HELP!

Okay...I'm looking at my old POR (DxL) resort map. Parterre Place is actually part of Magnolia Bend and not so different than Magnolia Terrace. Parterre Place is close to a bridge that does go to the Main bldg. The bridge is between it and Oak Manor. There is also a quiet pool in between them. Bldg 14 in Alligator Bayou is pretty close also and there is no bridge to cross. I wouldn't worry too much about being in PP...you should be fine. You may end up with a very nice view of the river. If I remember correctly the addtl amount for a water-view room is only about $10. So, please, try not to worry too much. I'm sure you'll be fine. I see from your countdown you are going on 6/23...we arrive on 6/24..moving over from BCV. Maybe we'll see you there!!!

 

[ciera321]

Goofy4tink - Thanks for all the wonderful information!!! We are staying at POR for the first time May 26 for 9 days and we can't wait!!! From all that I've read on this board, it sounds great. We've stayed at the other moderates, but not POR or FQ. It looks like POR would be a perfect resort to rent a surrey and go exploring...

 

[goofy4tink]

Goofy4tink - Thanks for all the wonderful information!!! We are staying at POR for the first time May 26 for 9 days and we can't wait!!! From all that I've read on this board, it sounds great. We've stayed at the other moderates, but not POR or FQ. It looks like POR would be a perfect resort to rent a surrey and go exploring...

You are entirely welcome. Can you tell I love this resort? I love my BWV but POR will always hold a special place in my heart.

 

[PatricenPete]

You tend to get a deluxe feel for a moderate resort price here. River Roost is the cocktail lounge and it has the Piano Man Bob playing there. If he is playing when you're there, try to catch his show.

Amen!!!!! POR is actually my favorite resort! We have stayed at many of the resorts including two deluxe resorts (AKL and the Poly) and we always come back to POR.

You get a lot of "bang for your buck" at POR and the piano man is just SO much fun. We are going for a week in October and are staying at POR.

 

[crisrn2003]

We just changed our reservations to POR for Oct 8-14th. This will be our first moderate resort and I'm anxious to hear I have made a good choice. I did see someone who posted an earlier thread asking about the fridges--yes, according to the CM, August, that I spoke with tonite, they are in the room for free. When I budgeted one in our budget resort, plus the preferred room location closer to the food court, it ends up not being too much more than I was going to pay for POP Century---about $150. She also anticipates annual passes will award a discount in the fall--for approx. 30% on the room. That cinched it for me. I think we're going to do 10 day passes, non expiring for dd, ds, and dh and a AP for me and make plans to come back in the spring.
Just as a side note, for all those people that DID manage to secure AP discount rates on Tuesday nite, the night before they were to be released, the CM who did that were "seriously" reprimanded, whatever that means.
Also, is there any place I can see some pictures of POR? I've been looking but not having much luck. We have requested Alligator Bayou, building 14, which is NOT a preferred location--that surprises me since that is close to the administration building. I would love to be able to show the kids and "look."

 

[Lebjwb]

POR is a GREAT resort. We were there in February of 04.

The rooms were very nice...we were in Mansions. The landscaping is excellent.

I love Cajun style food so if you do as well then this is definitely the place.

My DD loved the pool. You can take a boat from this resort to DTD...very relaxing.

The food court can get busy. The best meal there was breakfast as far as service. The staff during lunch and dinner seemed to struggle with the crowds, but the a.m. crew has it down pat.

You can also go on a very nice horse and buggy ride around the property.

There were plenty of quiet pools.

The bar at the main pool was very nice. They make a great bloody Mary. The bartender's name back then was Lee and he was from Valdosta, Georgia.

Bus transportation was super.

I'd go back in a heart beat. I stayed at CR last November and I really wished I could have been at POR instead!

Have a great time!

 

[Cindie-rella]

Also, is there any place I can see some pictures of POR? I've been looking but not having much luck. We have requested Alligator Bayou, building 14, which is NOT a preferred location--that surprises me since that is close to the administration building. I would love to be able to show the kids and "look."[/QUOTE]



Try this site..it has lots of pics! http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/porss.htm There's also another site but I'm not able to open any pages on it. Maybe it is down temporarily. It's a good site for alot of pics on POR. http://64.41.109.164/resorts.htm
Hope this helps

 

[MiJo]

This is one of our favorite resorts and we would recommend it. After staying in both the Alligator Bayou and Magnolia Bend sections, I would have to say we prefer the AB. It is spread out but the theme is great. You can find a map of POR on this site:
POR Map
To give you an idea of the size of POR, I can give you this info: We were in Acadian House in the corner that is closest to building 37 of the AB. From there, it was about a 5-6 minute walk to the pool and a 7-8 minute walk to the main building. The North Depot was about a minute or so walk from our room, 8030.
I can also give you the link to our photos of POR, taken in January:
POR Photos
Whatever you do, DON'T MISS Bob "The Piano Man" Jackson! We performs in the River Roost Lounge from 8:30 PM - Midnight, Wednesday through Sunday. His act is totally family oriented and hilarious!
Also, the lounge offers a good, and large, nacho platter for around $6. In the food court, the breakfast platter is apretty good deal. Boatwright's also has very good food for breakfast and supper.
The bike and carriage rides are $30 for 30 minutes. A person does caricatures in the lobby of the resort if you are interested in that (I don't know how much they are). There is also fishing near the main pool but I don't know the cost of that, either, since we never did it.
I hope this helps. BTW, it is only a 10 or 15 minute walk or so to POFQ and it makes for a nice stroll in the evening.
Have fun at POR!

 

[goofy4tink]

Just so that you know, there are no 'preferred' bldgs at POR. You can get upgraded to a water view room but that would be it. All the bldgs are the same price, with that water view exception. A lot of people like bldg 14 in AB due to how close it is to the main bldg. But, others really like the 'formality' of the mansions and others like the quietness and solitude of the AB bldgs further back. Something for every taste I guess.

 

[scorp111]

I am staying at POR the first time at the end of April, it sounds great! I have stayed at both WL and POP in the past, so this is my first mod. The only request we made is that we are in AB(for the trundle) and that we preferred 2nd floor, so nobody is walking above us. As far as the building, they can surprise us

 

[sprite]

We stayed at POR last August. Building 14. We loved this resort. Much more than I had expected.

A few things we tried sort of at the last minute:

renting small boats for an hour: big hit, we came back the next day and did it again.

riding the boat to DTD: GREAT! We did not do this until the last day of the trip and really wished we had tried it sooner. I enjoyed the boat ride in and of itself (do use bug spray if you are going in the evening. )

Boatwright's: We decided to eat there for breakfast at the spur of the moment. One of the highlight's of our trip. The banana-stuffed french toast is awesome and my 15 yo dd keeps asking me if we can go back there on our next trip.

Pool hopping to POFQ: My kids loved the sea dragon slide.

The grounds are just lovely, although very spread out. We were fortunate to be in a building close to everything. The only problem we had was the laundry facilities closest to us were closed for refurbishing and we had a very lo-o-o-ong walk to the next available ones.

 

[matthewsmom1]

I just looked at the map. Are there bus stops out front of the main builiding? Or just the 3 stops around the perimeter?

 

[sprite]

I just looked at the map. Are there bus stops out front of the main builiding? Or just the 3 stops around the perimeter?

There is a bus stop in front of the main building.