POR: Are we making a mistake?

[lunaland]

We are going on our first cruise next year and planning on spending 6 days at WDW first. We are DLR veterans and have been to WDW twice prior to this trip. Both times we stayed at AKL. We love it! Zero complaints. Love the food, rooms, lobby, animals, etc. But....there are a lot of hotels out there and we both thought it might be fun to try something new. So we each looked around and came up with our choices. Only thing that was high up on both our lists was POR! We've never stayed in a moderate. We don't like outdoor hallways. We only do table service meals. But for some reason, this resort seriously appeals to us. We stayed at HHI in April for the first time and I think the pool and rustic section of POR might just be bringing back wonderful memories of that trip and swaying us away from AKL. Are we crazy to go from a deluxe to a moderate?

 

[niffer5150]

we're DLR locals too and *only* stay at POR now because it reminds us so much of the bayou part of POTC. for us, it's like staying IN the ride.

 

[stinkpickle]

I would definitely try it out, if I were you. We like them both...we're actually doing a split stay at AKL and POR this fall.

 

[Baklava]

It's so, so lovely. We had a Royal Room and the room and the mansions section and the river... yeah. I have been to WDW once, and POR managed to make it a place I feel homesick for.

 

[rosysubmarine]

I'm a little nervous, too. In my past trips I've really only stayed at the Polynesian, and I'm afraid I've been a bit spoiled by the boat rides and the monorail being steps away. It sounds silly, but it's kind of like expanding beyond my "home" resort.

Which part are you thinking of staying in? Alligator? Royal? Mansion?

What's helped alleviate my nervousness is watching resort visits on YouTube. Maybe if you watch some of those and see the atmosphere of the place, it'll help you decide which resort will make you happier.

 

[ErinF]

We had only ever stayed deluxe before our trip a few weeks ago. This time we did a split stay and stayed at POR before moving over to the Contemporary. We really enjoyed POR. We thought it was a beautiful resort with wonderful theming. I think you will love it!

 

[Lisann]

I always stay deluxe but really love this resort. One of my favorite.

 

[Hopefully]

One of the things you said stood out to me. You don't like outdoor corridors. Neither do I & it is a deal breaker for me. I feel less secure. I hate that you either keep the curtains closed or everybody walking by can look in your room. I really want a private patio or balcony to start and end my day sitting on.
Good luck

 

[ls1222]

We love POR.. Have stayed many times in the AB section! We are actually staying at the Poly this year and I was just telling my DH that I'm nervous we will not like it as much as POR.

 

[awalker1015]

Anywhere else I also dislike exterior hallways. Make a point not to stay in hotels with them. Except here. We love POR. Will be staying there for the third time in October. We love the lush landscaping and the pools. Also love the lounge entertainment, the boat to Disney Springs and the food options. We don't mind the exterior corridors at all when there. Makes it easy to get in and out quickly and we have ever felt unsafe. We always stay in Alligator Bayou.

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

POR is my favorite Disney resort. It has wonderful theming throughout and it's just a gorgeous resort.

 

[Disney Khi]

My favorite WDW resort is BC. However, I also really like POR. I like the theming and the rooms are a good size. We've stayed at POR twice before, and we stayed there just last week because DD wanted to stay in a royal room for her birthday. We had a great time. We went swimming at POR and POFQ, participated in the marshmallow roast, saw some of the outdoor movie, ate at the food court, and took the boat to DS. I will admit that I miss the interior corridors, the walk to Epcot, and the pool at BC. However, I still think that POR is a great resort, and I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.

 

[loves to dive]

POR was the first non-deluxe I ever stayed at and I was nervous as well. I started out staying at the MK resorts because they were all that existed on site at the time. Then we moved over to the Epcot resorts and fell in love with YC. On a solo trip I decided what the heck, let's try a split stay with POR and OKW, first time away from Epcot resorts, yikes. I loved POR, yes it has outside hallways and I do love to sit out on a balcony in the mornings with my cup of coffee but I found so many little hidden nooks and crannies that I didn't miss my balcony. I tried two value resorts, Pop and ASSp and will never stay value again but wouldn't hesitate to go back to POR. I'm on a mission to stay at all the resorts and I satisfy that by doing split stays with the first night or two at a moderate and move over to an Epcot deluxe. I've even gotten brave and stayed at Swan, which I fell in love with and will be staying at again in Sept.

 

[tinkerbella16]

I am a POR lover. We have stayed at all of the value/moderates, but POR is my home away from home. I haven't stayed anywhere else since our first stay there in 2007, aside from a couple POFQ stays in between. It really is a beautiful resort. We love the grounds, and the pools. I think the food court there is the best out of everywhere we've stayed - so many great options, and of course the create your own pasta station alone is worth a visit. The boats to Disney Springs are so nice and relaxing. I've been staying in the royal rooms since they started, and love the mansion section of the resort. It is so pretty. The whole resort is quiet and so peaceful, even when booked to capacity, you'd never know because it is so nice and quiet. Our trip coming up, we decided to stay somewhere new and I am going to miss POR.

 

[patricia43m]

We are going on our first cruise next year and planning on spending 6 days at WDW first. We are DLR veterans and have been to WDW twice prior to this trip. Both times we stayed at AKL. We love it! Zero complaints. Love the food, rooms, lobby, animals, etc. But....there are a lot of hotels out there and we both thought it might be fun to try something new. So we each looked around and came up with our choices. Only thing that was high up on both our lists was POR! We've never stayed in a moderate. We don't like outdoor hallways. We only do table service meals. But for some reason, this resort seriously appeals to us. We stayed at HHI in April for the first time and I think the pool and rustic section of POR might just be bringing back wonderful memories of that trip and swaying us away from AKL. Are we crazy to go from a deluxe to a moderate?

 

[patricia43m]

OOPS. hit post reply by mistake. I did not like the POR when we stayed there in 2013. Our room really wasn't clean. Same bobby pin from previous guest was on the rug the entire time and one bed had lots of hair in it.
I know people like it but I really can't figure out why. I've stayed in most WDW hotels and prefer All Star resorts to this because the cost of POR seems out of whack. We stayed at AKL in 2014 after POR stay and what a difference!!

 

[lunaland]

Thank you everyone for the replies! I am feeling much better about this! We both watched YouTube videos of the resorts we liked to narrow down our choices and that was one of the things that convinced us we wanted POR. We are hoping to stay in the Alligator Bayou section. Loved the look of the rooms there. While I admit we prefer DLR, one of our favorite parts of WDW is all the heavily themed hotels. I didn't want to loose that by choosing POR.

 

[tink1970]

There is great theming to all the resorts-POR is no exception.

A nice perk is the boat service to Disney Springs, so while there is only one TS at the resort, there is a whole array just a boat ride away! Also for something different you can schedule a carriage ride which winds around the POR resort. I did this once on a girls' trip with DD and DM (we stayed in a Mansion room) so we felt like quite the Scarlett O'Haras ).

 

[TsLoveMickey]

My two previous trips we stayed at WL and AKL before trying POR this trip. I loved POR and wouldn't hesitate to stay there again! The grounds are beautiful, the buses were adequate and the pool was great! We had a standard view royal room in a decent location, so I'm sure that helped. I would likely try a regular/preferred room or a similar Royal room if we went back.

 

[Sue M]

OOPS. hit post reply by mistake. I did not like the POR when we stayed there in 2013. Our room really wasn't clean. Same bobby pin from previous guest was on the rug the entire time and one bed had lots of hair in it.
I know people like it but I really can't figure out why. I've stayed in most WDW hotels and prefer All Star resorts to this because the cost of POR seems out of whack. We stayed at AKL in 2014 after POR stay and what a difference!!

Why would you stay and sleep in a dirty room/bed? That can happen at any resort. I'd be down at the front desk after looking at room and requesting either another room or get it clean. Yuck.

Thank you everyone for the replies! I am feeling much better about this! We both watched YouTube videos of the resorts we liked to narrow down our choices and that was one of the things that convinced us we wanted POR. We are hoping to stay in the Alligator Bayou section. Loved the look of the rooms there. While I admit we prefer DLR, one of our favorite parts of WDW is all the heavily themed hotels. I didn't want to loose that by choosing POR.

We love POR. I prefer the mansion section, along the river! It's a beautiful resort and has a lot to offer with a boat to Disney Springs fun evening entertainment, carriage rides, and cane fishing. I have no problem going back and forth between deluxe and POR stays.