POR Musts :-)

[rgamber621]

Taking all must do's, must sees or must eats at POR!! Will be staying there for the first time in September!!

 

[Missytara]

You can check out portorleans.org or the official thread for all the things there are to do there. There are tons of things to do there.

There is a water taxi to and from DTD that runs from 11 am to 11 pm. I always end my evening at a resort and take the DTD bus back to the resort bus hub. From the bus hub, you can see the top of the volcano at RFC, which is right near the boat dock.

The water taxis run every 10 minutes after 4 pm, so you are never waiting long for a water taxi in the evening.

Also, catch Yee-hah Bob, Wednesday through Saturday, in the lounge from 8 pm to about midnight.

 

[maxiesmom]

You must eat a Magic Cookie Bar!!!!!

 

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

Taking all must do's, must sees or must eats at POR!! Will be staying there for the first time in September!!

Carriage ride with Laurie & any of her horses. Did it in April for DH's birthday & loved it. Also the boat to DTD. We also enjoyed drinks at the Muddy River Pool bar & relaxing by the main pool & people watching.

 

[winthropf]

See Yehaa Bob in the lounge, Wednesday through Saturday nights at 8:30. Great free family show.

 

[jhaig]

Don't miss Yee hah Bob, but be sure to take an early morning stoll through the grounds as the sun comes up. Grab a beverage at Riverside Mill (IMO the best counter service spot of ALL WDW resorts) and enjoy the ambiance. POR is one place that you need to slow down at and take in the scenery.

 

[I Love Pluto]

Choose your own pasta
Swim in all of the pools (even FQ)
Walk around the entire lake (beautiful - very!)
Evening walk - (it just smells good there)

You will LOVE POR! Have a great time!

 

[Missytara]

Evening walk - (it just smells good there)

You will LOVE POR! Have a great time!

And the sound of the water taxi coming back to POR at night.

I did a solo, all resorts, no parks trip. I had a riverview room, right on the end of the wing on Parterre Place. I pulled my chair out most nights in the doorway and closed my eyes and listened to the last water taxi pull into the marina for the night. It was heavenly.

 

[Sue M]

All great suggestions. We also love the make your own pasta bar. Even when we aren't staying at POR, we will go over for it!

Not mentioned is The Fishing hole. It's open in the mornings. We didn't fish, but it's a very pretty spot to just sit and enjoy. And we had a delightful conversation with the CM there. He's very knowledgable and pointed out some birds and things about POR. It's fun to just go there for a visit.

 

[Dixiemom]

Arriving next Saturday and already have the carriage ride booked.....just cannot wait! Have to take 8 yo DD to the fishin' hole too. Looking forward to the water taxi and plan on taking it several times.

 

[RustManFan]

I particularly enjoy wandering the grounds with my camera in hand and snapping whatever catches my eye that day.

And we NEVER miss taking the boat back and forth to DTD!!

 

[TeamBlack]

Build your own pasta was yummy, a definte highlight.
Fishing pond was a bust for us. Pond is very shallow, we caught lots of moss. Several others were fishing and zero fish were caught.

 

[LisaTC]

I particularly enjoy wandering the grounds with my camera in hand and snapping whatever catches my eye that day.

And we NEVER miss taking the boat back and forth to DTD!!

I enjoyed our meal at Boatwrights...the Prime Rib was really good, per DH, but I wouldn't know, it was gone before I could steal a bite. I had Jambalaya. They treated DD like a true princess for her birthday.

The grounds are so beautiful...period. Take your camera, for sure.

The Riverside Mill Food court has lots of choices and can get busy, but not impossible. I love the oatmeal. You can get it as a snack size or counter service size and there are a million toppings -- berries, nuts, granola, honey, fruits...it is SO good and filling, even the snack size.

I think they have a very nice giftshop/store as well. As nice as any resort, if you ask me with lots to peruse!

The River roost is fun with Bob! Gets crowded, but even when he's not there, it can be lively with people chattering about. Good snack grub and they serve killer bloody marys!

We enjoyed every moment there. So tranquil and beautiful.

 

[cannmom]

Yeehaw Bob is lots of fun. Get there early to get a good seat.

We had a great meal at Boatwright's.

You can get an ice cream sundae for your dessert at Riverside Mill. They are huge. The sundaes are one of my DS and DH favorite things.

 

[Shaden]

I enjoyed our meal at Boatwrights...the Prime Rib was really good, per DH, but I wouldn't know, it was gone before I could steal a bite. I had Jambalaya. They treated DD like a true princess for her birthday.

The grounds are so beautiful...period. Take your camera, for sure.

The Riverside Mill Food court has lots of choices and can get busy, but not impossible. I love the oatmeal. You can get it as a snack size or counter service size and there are a million toppings -- berries, nuts, granola, honey, fruits...it is SO good and filling, even the snack size.

I think they have a very nice giftshop/store as well. As nice as any resort, if you ask me with lots to peruse!

The River roost is fun with Bob! Gets crowded, but even when he's not there, it can be lively with people chattering about. Good snack grub and they serve killer bloody marys!

We enjoyed every moment there. So tranquil and beautiful.

I would agree with most of this, except Boatwrights. IMO, Skip it. We burned 2 table service on it and regreted it considerably. I had the prime rib, of course I wanted the Filet Mignon, but they removed it. The PR was ok, but it was nothing special. Nothing more then you would get at any steak house/restaurant. Good, sure, special ? No. The Jambalaya, maybe ours was not the norm, maybe it was, but my Wife had it, it looked good, but it tasted like a bowl of peppers, thats it, there was really no other flavour to it, just a bowl of green peppers. The pecan pie, was aweome though

But all in all, there is nothign about Boatwrights that makes it special or worthy of a TS meal at disney when you compare it to the other options between resorts and parks.

 

[Shaden]

My ultimate must do's, walk the resort, its huge, but its all amazing. Each time you round a bench, you will want to take a picture, and it just doesn't stop. We too an average of 300 pictures a day (park and resort) for 13 days !!! ... just couldn't get enough.

The boat ride to and from DTD or FQ. Couple times we walked to FQ and took the boat back. The food court is fantastic, so much choice. The pizza you can get for 2 QS meals is the same as you will get if you order a delivery pizza for 2 TS meals, so you are better off just getting it from the Food court, but its actually reallllllly good pizza, so give it a try.

Oooooh, The apple blossom with Vanilla bean ice cream from the food court as a desert... just awesome

POR to us was just a great resort, to relax by the pool and walk the grounds. We stayed at CSR the year before, and loved the "night life" in a way, ate at Maya grill a few times, had many drinks by the lakes and by the pool. POR was a much more chill resort, and more beautiful by day for certain. So just enjoy it

 

[LisaTC]

I would agree with most of this, except Boatwrights. IMO, Skip it. We burned 2 table service on it and regreted it considerably. I had the prime rib, of course I wanted the Filet Mignon, but they removed it. The PR was ok, but it was nothing special. Nothing more then you would get at any steak house/restaurant. Good, sure, special ? No. The Jambalaya, maybe ours was not the norm, maybe it was, but my Wife had it, it looked good, but it tasted like a bowl of peppers, thats it, there was really no other flavour to it, just a bowl of green peppers. The pecan pie, was aweome though

But all in all, there is nothign about Boatwrights that makes it special or worthy of a TS meal at disney when you compare it to the other options between resorts and parks.

I know Boatwright's reviews run hot and cold, but most all TS at Disney does, if you read the reviews close enough. I've had a great meal at 'Ohana and Cinderella's royal table and some think they are both hideous. DH tends to order all beef Medium Rare, don't know if that was an issue. Having worked in a fine dining restaurant, prime rib can be tricky and highly dependent on your beef supplier! The Jambalaya is hot, no doubt about it. You're right, the pecan pie and desserts are killer, so were the appetizers.

It suited us because we had scheduled an evening "in" weren't in the mood for CS.

 

[Missytara]

I know Boatwright's reviews run hot and cold, but most all TS at Disney does, if you read the reviews close enough. I've had a great meal at 'Ohana and Cinderella's royal table and some think they are both hideous. DH tends to order all beef Medium Rare, don't know if that was an issue. Having worked in a fine dining restaurant, prime rib can be tricky and highly dependent on your beef supplier! The Jambalaya is hot, no doubt about it. You're right, the pecan pie and desserts are killer, so were the appetizers.

It suited us because we had scheduled an evening "in" weren't in the mood for CS.

I have also run hot and cold on Boatwright's. I love it when I am not on the dining plan, because I prefer an app, a salad, and the pecan pie. The banana bread is also very, very good.

However, I find for the price, the entrees are rather small and very limited.

I really miss it when they had breakfast. We used it several times when I didn't do the dining plan and their breakfasts were a nice break from the food court.

Honestly, if I am looking for dinner last minute, I take the water taxi over and sit at the bar at either RFC or Paradiso 37. I also love WPE and EOS for some quick fare. And a few years ago, I took a chance on the Turf Club; walked over from DTD, and it was fantastic as well. The tables on the patio are wonderful in the evening.

 

[Shaden]

I have also run hot and cold on Boatwright's. I love it when I am not on the dining plan, because I prefer an app, a salad, and the pecan pie. The banana bread is also very, very good.

However, I find for the price, the entrees are rather small and very limited.

I really miss it when they had breakfast. We used it several times when I didn't do the dining plan and their breakfasts were a nice break from the food court.

Honestly, if I am looking for dinner last minute, I take the water taxi over and sit at the bar at either RFC or Paradiso 37. I also love WPE and EOS for some quick fare. And a few years ago, I took a chance on the Turf Club; walked over from DTD, and it was fantastic as well. The tables on the patio are wonderful in the evening.

And thats one of the joys of POR, being so close to DTD, either by boat or by bus (The bus is very very quick). We headed to downtown for quite a few meals actually. The Earl of Sandwich is probably our fav if we aren't feeling like "going out".

 

[LisaTC]

And thats one of the joys of POR, being so close to DTD, either by boat or by bus (The bus is very very quick). We headed to downtown for quite a few meals actually. The Earl of Sandwich is probably our fav if we aren't feeling like "going out".

Yes...I can hardly give up POR because of that reason and Turf Club has good steaks, I hear it is a best kept (wink) secret, MissyTara...nice to hear that confirmed.. Also, I know RFC gets crap reviews, but their breakfasts are really good. Haven't tried the Earl yet, there's just to much to do, eat, see...too little time! That's also the great thing about POR, I think it is a perfect down time resort after a busy day at the parks. Very serene!