POR - Mansion or Bayou?

[momtothree3]

Hi! I have been looking at threads that are about POR. I have a family of 5, so our choices were limited. Does anybody know if you deffinately get the AB with a family of 5? Is there better buildings to be at for the main pool and other things. My children are 11,8, and 6 so they will not be going places alone. I have heard 18 and 38 are good. At this point we have a standard room. Does anybody know if there is a slide in the main pool? Is it too small for and 11 and 8 year boys? Thanks for any info given, I trying to get excited about a resort I really did not get to pick, due to family size and budget. Looked at All star music suite, but wanted the moderate feel.Thanks again, Chris

 

[global_mom]

Momtothree3: I shared your anxiety about POR when we first stayed there. We also have 3 children (11,8,6) and had to be in a resort that would take 5. We loved it so much that we have returned 5 times! AB is the only section that will accomodate 5 people.

We always request building 14 or 18. #14 is our first choice. These are as close to the Food Court as you can get and they are a short walk over the bridge to Ol' Man Island swim area. I dont let the kids go to the pool by themselves but have let them "run up to the room" from the pool to retreive forgotten items. We do let all three of them go the food court to buy breakfast items and bring them back to the room. All 3 have their own KTTW cards and have become pros at navigating food courts and restaurants.

O'l Man Island is great for all kids. It is one of our favorite pools. It has a great slide and a pool bar that is close by. This pool does get about 4 feet deep in some areas so I have to watch the 6 year old carefully. However, the Disney lifegaurds are first rate and I feel very comfortable in case there was a "situation".

Boatwright's restaurant is skippable unless you really want a TS and dont want to travel to another location. We do like the breakfast which has the Mickey pancakes for the kids. Again, it is OK but nothing to get excited about. There is also a nice Lounge area in the main building to get a drink and the large gift shop has all the standard Disney stuff.

I have 3 sets of friends that have stayed at POR in the past few months at our suggestion. They have all loved it! It is a moderate, of course, but it is very attractive and comfortable. The only downside IMO is the fact that the trundle bed for the 3rd child is very small. More the size of a mattress on a toddler bed. It will still accomdate our 6 year old but she will have out grown it by the time of our next trip. Hence, we bought DVC so that we could all get a fullsize bed .

Have a great trip!
(feel free to PM if you have questions)
Elizabeth

 

[momtothree3]

Thank you for the info. I am feeling better about it now. Did you make a building request when you booked your room or when you arrived? And I am not sure what DVC is Disney Vacation Club? How do you do this? Do the cost worth it if you only are able to go now and then? How far are the buses from buildings 14 and 18? Sorry for all the questions. You were very helpful. Thanks Chris

 

[mickeystoontown]

I too am contemplating a stay at the Port Orleans resorts.

We are from Louisiana, live in a log house, have lots of beautiful landscaping, see raccoons, squirrels and deer frequently, etc. My son's bed is made of log, our daughter's bed is made of wrought iron and our bed is cherry with brass. So, no matter which section we stay in at Port Orleans, we have some of the same styles in our own home. Because of this, I am afraid we just won't appreciate the Port Orleans resort.

But.....I like the way the food court is set up. I like the fact that it is centrally located. I like the fact that there's a boat to DTD.

I've looked into the CSR and, so far, it just doesn't appeal to me too much. No real reason why, it just doesn't.

We've stayed at the CBR twice and absolutely loved it. I just want to try something new and the deluxe resorts are out of our price range.

Decisions! Decisions! Decisions!

 

[disneyfanfamily]

We have 5 and did NOT stay in AB section. They put us in the Acadian Building and brought us a cot. We loved where we stayed. It is a nice resort. We loved the quiet pools..

Angela

 

[global_mom]

I always request building 14 when I make the reservation. Only once were we given building 18 and we were still happy with that.

The buses are about 50 yards, across a parking lot, from building 14. They are not much further from building 18. Do remember that these are sprawling buildings so your walk will be further depending on the location of your room.

DVC is Disney Vacation Club and it is great! However, the greatest savings is for those that plan to go to Disney at least once every other year. We go to Disney 2-4 times per year (including cruises) so it is a good value for us. However, we still plan to pay cash for some trips b/c we want to continue to stay in some of our favorite hotels.

AB is supposed to be the only section that will accomodate 5 people, but as another poster mentioned, they can make exceptions based on capapcity and bring a cot. We really like the AB section (especially building 14) so we have never requested to be placed in another section and it has not happened to us as a result of capacity.

Happy to answer your questions!!

 

[scottnorth]

I don't know which is better...but we stayed in one of the mansions in January 2007 and loved it!

 

[global_mom]

I wish that we could fit into the Mansions, I have heard good things. I dont think that you can go wrong on either side, it is just a really good resort and great value for the money!

 

[kimis]

OK, I have decided on POR rather than POFQ for our tentative trip next year. Now the question is...Mansion or Bayou? I had thought I wanted the Mansions, but from the pictures they look a little frilly as we will be traveling with two teen boys. But the Bayou rooms look a little too rustic. I imagine the responses will be 50/50 (just like responses to "POR or POFQ?") but I am interested in hearing your reasons so I can decide what would be better for our family.

We (dh and me) go every year and stay in the mansions. I have heard that families tend to like Bayau. Either way POR is a great place. We love it.