POR advice?

[DissyLove]

Hello, when I originally posted this thread, I thought in addition to my two older kids (ages 5 and 7) I would be travelling with my mom. Now, it will just be myself and my two kids, who are very well behaved and excited about this trip.

Will this resort be OK for getting around the Disney parks by bus? Are the buses pretty reliable and on time? We will be at the MK, Epcot, and MGM at least during out trip. Just want to make sure we won't get stuck anywhere! Anyone who has stayed at POR and used the buses, any feedback will be great!

 

[highland3]

We were there last week and the buses were great... even in the rain! We used the south depot (at the main building) and rarely had problems with crowded buses.

Sometimes, like after the parade/fireworks at MK, we might have had to wait for a second bus.

 

[sweetinmaine]

We just returned from POR last Wednesday. We stayed in the Magnolia Terrace mansion on the bottom level facing one of the 2 quiet pools in the mansion section. The room was fantastic, very beautiful. It does make you feel like you are staying deluxe. In fact, my son, who was staying at the CR spent more time at POR than at his own resort. Magnolia Terrace is the closest mansion to the Ol' Man Island as well as the main building with the food court. You just walk over the bridge, past the main pool and you are there. We've stayed in Alligator Bayou in a past visit, building # 14 and thought that Magnolia Terrace was even closer than #14 even though it looks closer on the map.

As someone mentioned earlier, the grounds are very nice and yes, the bunnies are still there. My 3 yr old grandson named two of the ducks that visit, Chip and Dale. The kids loved the cane fishing too. As for the question about the bicycles, yes, you can seat 2 children in the front. My two grandsons loved the ride around the resort.

I'll be glad to answer any other questions that you might have. We had a very nice time and look forward to another visit to POR soon.

 

[Kaiya]

SweetinMaine
Hi, just wondering if you could give us some info on the rennovations of bldg 14 and 15. We'd requested this back in Oct. 04, but aren't sure about the progress they're making. Don't want to get our hopes up if there's no chance. Would like to stay in AB section. Should we change our request or just hope that we'll be in bldg 14, 15, or 16????

Also wondering if the Riverside Mill breakfast is served at 6:00am. I see that the bakery is open but not sure about breakfast meals - says 7:00am at allearsnet. We're hoping that during next week it opens early because we'll be on the bus to MK by 6:30am for the EMH's. Anyone know?????
Thanks for any info!!

 

[DissyLove]

Also, are there any "bad" buildings, meaning, that if they assign me to one, I should ask to be re-assigned, since I am travelling alone with two small children? I want to be close to the main building with the food court, near the pool, if possible. I don't want to make my little ones walk too far if I can avoid it.....

Thanks again to everyone who has offered some feedback on this, going it alone, I want to plan as much as possible!

 

[BamaBelle & Beast]

We love POR. We stayed there last May and we are going to stay there again this May.

 

[Hawk]

Also, are there any "bad" buildings, meaning, that if they assign me to one, I should ask to be re-assigned, since I am travelling alone with two small children? I want to be close to the main building with the food court, near the pool, if possible. I don't want to make my little ones walk too far if I can avoid it.....

Thanks again to everyone who has offered some feedback on this, going it alone, I want to plan as much as possible!

DissyLove - There are no "bad" buildings at POR. Try this site:

www.solarius.com/dvp/wdw/riverside.htm

Tim/Hawk

 

[sweetinmaine]

SweetinMaine
Hi, just wondering if you could give us some info on the rennovations of bldg 14 and 15. We'd requested this back in Oct. 04, but aren't sure about the progress they're making. Don't want to get our hopes up if there's no chance. Would like to stay in AB section. Should we change our request or just hope that we'll be in bldg 14, 15, or 16????

Also wondering if the Riverside Mill breakfast is served at 6:00am. I see that the bakery is open but not sure about breakfast meals - says 7:00am at allearsnet. We're hoping that during next week it opens early because we'll be on the bus to MK by 6:30am for the EMH's. Anyone know?????
Thanks for any info!!

Hi Kaiya, I'm not sure about the renovations being complete in bldg 14 as of this time. We didn't see any workers outside the building when we were there. Hopefully someone who stayed in the AB section can answer that question for you. We stayed in AB bldg 14 last year and really liked it. After staying there and the mansion this year, I'd opt for the mansion again. Especially Magnolia Terrace. The landscaping is a little more open, not so many trees, and is very beautiful.

THe Riverside Mill does not open for breakfast until 7. You're correct in that the bakery opens early. You could grab a bagel or croissant to hold you until you hit the MK. Have fun!

 

[sweetinmaine]

Also, are there any "bad" buildings, meaning, that if they assign me to one, I should ask to be re-assigned, since I am travelling alone with two small children? I want to be close to the main building with the food court, near the pool, if possible. I don't want to make my little ones walk too far if I can avoid it.....

Thanks again to everyone who has offered some feedback on this, going it alone, I want to plan as much as possible!

We had our 2 young grandsons (3 & 1) with us. I'd let the CM's know about your concerns about closeness of rooms. I'd recommend Magnolia Terrace in the mansion section as we found it to be very close to Ol Man Island (the main swimming pool) as well as the food court and the central area of POR. We stayed in room 8536 and a quiet pool was just outside our room. We brought our own stroller for our youngest grandson and was very glad that we did. If you are looking to stay in the AB section, I'd request building 14 (if the renovations are complete) as this too is closest to everything. Keep in mind that that AB section doesn't have elevators so if you are there you may have stairs to climb. The mansions have elevators. We stayed on the bottom floor so it was not a concern for us.

Don't be afraid to express your concerns to the CM that is checking you in. They gave us a room assignment when we got there and we needed to change it because of the grandkids. They were very understanding. Have fun making those Disney memories!

 

[DissyLove]

I have one more question. How is the slide there? Can I let my 7 year old go down there by himself (he is a pretty good swimmer) if say, I can see him from the shallow end or something? Is there good visibility in the pool area, say, if I am with my 4 year old, so that I can still see my older kid if he wants to slide?

Thanks, just want to be prepared since this will be my first mommy alone with kids trip!!

 

[Cinderella2004]

Dissylove-

My DD and I did a Mommy and Me trip at POR last May. She doesn't know it yet, but we will be there in June for her birthday.

This is my FAVORITE resort!!!! We have stayed at ASMo, POFQ (2 x's) Poly, CBR and AKL. And POR wins, hands down. DD and I felt like princesses, or southern belles . (she is 6, btw)

She loved the slide!!! She is a great swimmer, but even the little kids were going down the slide, they had a parent standing to the side of the slide. You will be able to see him, the pools pretty open so if you decide to stick to the side the slide is on, you shouldn't have a worry. As a caution though, make sure he knows how to get to the slide from the bridge...it can also take you to the other side of the pool, I think.

As far as the walk to the food court, we were in Oak Manor. It wasn't to bad, the grounds are so beautiful, I could have walked forever!!! DD didn't complain until the last day .

We also enjoyed renting the regular bikes. I'm not sure if that was you who asked, or another poster, but they were fun to ride around on. The did also have bikes with training wheels if your younger one needs that.

We also did the carriage ride, which brings you over to FQ. That was a lot of fun, but book it before you go. Our driver told us that its booked way in advance, and they were making more people mad than happy....

I too, could talk about this resort forever....any specific questions, I'd be glad to try and help!!

 

[firstmickey]

You can get free life jackets from the marina for length of your stay. You just need to have your key with you to get one. They are the nice yellow vest ones. My son used them two years ago to feel more confident going down the slide.......because the lifeguards do not like you to stand right near the bottom until your child is just about getting off the slide. They like to keep the path clear so they can see.


I also love this resort.

 

[TTRider]

Originally Posted by Kaiya
SweetinMaine
Hi, just wondering if you could give us some info on the rennovations of bldg 14 and 15. We'd requested this back in Oct. 04, but aren't sure about the progress they're making. Don't want to get our hopes up if there's no chance. Would like to stay in AB section. Should we change our request or just hope that we'll be in bldg 14, 15, or 16????

Also wondering if the Riverside Mill breakfast is served at 6:00am. I see that the bakery is open but not sure about breakfast meals - says 7:00am at allearsnet. We're hoping that during next week it opens early because we'll be on the bus to MK by 6:30am for the EMH's. Anyone know?????
Thanks for any info!!


At the end of February they were renovating AB Bldg. #14. They will probably be done when you go. Bldg. #14 is a great spot because it is so close to everything.

We were able to call Boatwright's one morning and get a PS for that morning. It didn't seem too difficult to get in. The food was fantastic.

 

[deejohn]

We stayed at POR in May 2003 (we were in Bldg 12 - close to everything!!!), and it was the favorite of all our 7 trips. There are 5 of us, and the room was spacious. The dinning area was nice. My kids (9,5,4) all loved the main pool, which is within walking distance of all the rooms. There is boat transportation to Downtown Disney and buses to everywhere eles.

The people were very helpful and friendly. We are going back in Dec 2005 and wanted to re-book the POR, but we are now 6 (ages 11,7,6,2) so we would have to book 2 rooms, which is too expensive, so we have to to with POP Centry.

Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[ktink]

I'm so excited after reading this thread. You see I changed our package from a split stay between WL and Poly and was wandering if I had done the right thing, but we were able to add dining package on and still came out over $700 cheaper. From what I can see we have made an excellent choice.

I have a question, though. Our TA booked us for waterview rooms and I think we would rather stay in the mansions than AB are there waterviews in both sections? I know you can request but it won't be guaranteed.

 

[sweetinmaine]

I'm so excited after reading this thread. You see I changed our package from a split stay between WL and Poly and was wandering if I had done the right thing, but we were able to add dining package on and still came out over $700 cheaper. From what I can see we have made an excellent choice.

I have a question, though. Our TA booked us for waterview rooms and I think we would rather stay in the mansions than AB are there waterviews in both sections? I know you can request but it won't be guaranteed.

Hi ktink: Yes, there are waterview rooms in both sections. Just 2 weeks ago we had a waterview room in the mansion section. Our room faced one of the quiet pools. We were just a stones throw from it. Some of the rooms in the mansions face the river while others face the pools. Either way, you won't be disappointed. POR is beautiful!

 

[DissyLove]

You have to go to the marina to get the life jackets? Do you just hold on to it for the entire stay, or go back each time? Where is the marina in location to the main pool?

(Wondering because last time we stayed at the CBR and the life jackets were right there in the pool area). Thanks!

 

[sweetinmaine]

You have to go to the marina to get the life jackets? Do you just hold on to it for the entire stay, or go back each time? Where is the marina in location to the main pool?

(Wondering because last time we stayed at the CBR and the life jackets were right there in the pool area). Thanks!

The life jackets are yours to use the whole time you are at the resort. No need to return it each night. While the pool is located on Ol' Man Island, the marina is just outside the arcade. It's probably a 2 minute walk if that. You can see one from the other.

Have fun making those Disney memories!

 

[torismom]

What bldgs on the AB side have been refurbished? We are staying here for 2 nights in two weeks after our vacation home stay. I am excited to try POR. I had wanted FQ but they didnt have any ap rates.

I have enjoyed reading through this thread!!

 

[sweetinmaine]

What bldgs on the AB side have been refurbished? We are staying here for 2 nights in two weeks after our vacation home stay. I am excited to try POR. I had wanted FQ but they didnt have any ap rates.

I have enjoyed reading through this thread!!

I know that building 14 has been recently renovated. I believe it is now open too! I know that most of them in the AB have been. I think someone else mentioned that Bldg 16 had also been renovated. You may want to hold out for someone else to answer just to be sure. I do know that bldg 14 is close to everything including the main building and Ol' Man Island. Have fun making those Disney memories!