POR- nightmare (8/26-29)

[Cindy B]

Keep in mind too that you can always grab a taxi back to your resort if the bus line is horrible. Now before you say "I shouldn't have to", it is just offered up as an option. To me, if the bus line were all the way back to leave a legacy, I would be coughing up the $15 bucks.

I will be back to POR for my third time just 41 short days from today. I'm so excited! I'm also very interested in seeing how my October trip compares to everyones summer trips.

That is why we switched so we didn't have to cough up taxi fare. I honestly did feel terrible that the Port Orleans line was so long and we were one of the 7 people in line at the CSR bus.

As for the check in line, there were only four counter people working when the line went all the way to the Riverside Mill food court. If the hotel staff knew that there were many people waiting, more staff should have been on duty or just a separate check in/ re check in lane in order to expedite the process. My line neighbors were telling me that the desk clerks told them to come at 7 am in order to get free dining on already existing cards. Other line neighbors told me that they were told they had to be in line by 7 am because the dining credits needed to be on there by 11 am or they would not work?

I got there from an offsite condo at a few minutes after 7. The line was out of the pole area to the big wooden circle by the entrance of Fulton's at 705. By 815 the line had grown down the Food and Drink hall to the entrance of the Riverside Mill food court.

 

[BrianD]

Ah the wonderful world of free dining! I'm pretty sure I will make sure to never travel to WDW during that promotion. I'm sorry it was a rough start for you, but glad it ended well.

I'm thinking if I was heading to WDW, staying in a moderate, and without a car, I think CSR would be my choice. It is nice that they get their own buses and not everyone staying there is going to the parks.

 

[luvtogo12]

Sorry this happened to you.
I checked in on 8/26 as well. We arrived at the POR about 5:30 p.m. and check in took about 5 minutes. Looks like we missed the crowds.
We never had a problem with the buses. One night leaving Epcot, there were long lines but buses were pulling up two at a time, side by side. My sister was about a half an hour behind me leaving the park and she said the buses were still pulling up 2 at a time.
I did feel badly for the people working at the luggage depot. There was tons of luggage every where. They really could have used some extra workers there.

I enjoyed my stay at the POR and will return.

 

[Cindy B]

Sorry this happened to you.
I checked in on 8/26 as well. We arrived at the POR about 5:30 p.m. and check in took about 5 minutes. Looks like we missed the crowds.
We never had a problem with the buses. One night leaving Epcot, there were long lines but buses were pulling up two at a time, side by side. My sister was about a half an hour behind me leaving the park and she said the buses were still pulling up 2 at a time.
I did feel badly for the people working at the luggage depot. There was tons of luggage every where. They really could have used some extra workers there.

I enjoyed my stay at the POR and will return.

I guess you were there the day at Epcot where the lines were horrible for the PO busses. When the lines were stacking up, my DH called the PO transportation captain again and said that more busses need to be ordered since the line was out of the bus que and inching towards the leave a legacy tiles.

We were at Coronado Springs at that point, but we did call on behalf of all the people waiting. I'm glad to see that more busses showed up for the PO masses. We only waited about 10 minutes for a CS bus and we left. In that 10 minutes only one PO bus showed up and people were getting angry!

We did daily messages to the transportation captain at PO on behalf of all the bus passengers.

 

[DISNEYmooner2008]

this is making me VERY VERY VERY nervous about my honeymoon stay at POR coming up in january... I hear the crowds are alot better that time of the year... but still.... hmmm i don't know what to do now... and i just booked today!!
does anyone think it will be better this time of year?? i don't want to spend my whole honeymoon wading through crowds on busses, waiting in long lines, ect...

 

[fumipappa]

Is it because of POR or is it because of the first day of Free dining? Because OP did not check-in at CSR at same day and same day, it is so unfair to compare two situation. CSR might have same situation on 8/26, Sunday and free dining start day.

It seems like Sunday morning is the worst time to check-in at anywhere at Disney resorts.

 

[scottny]

Sorry you had problems at POR. We were there July 12-16 and it could not have been better. Check in took 5 minutes, buses we never waited longer than 5 minutes except for closing at MGM which was 10 - 12 min. I cannot praise POR enough. Sorry it was terrible for you.

 

[elastigirl]

Sundays (morning and afternoon) are always the busiest at check in, and 8/26 was the first day of Free Dining. I would guess that the resorts turned at least 1/3 of their inventory that day. It does suck that they were so short staffed, but 1-2 people calling in per shift can do that quickly.

Also, if you are checking in with/around a DME arrival, it can be a totally different experience than catching the front desk at another time.

Glad the OP was able to be moved and that the trip ended up turning out well.

 

[chickenskin]

this is making me VERY VERY VERY nervous about my honeymoon stay at POR coming up in january... I hear the crowds are alot better that time of the year... but still.... hmmm i don't know what to do now... and i just booked today!!
does anyone think it will be better this time of year?? i don't want to spend my whole honeymoon wading through crowds on busses, waiting in long lines, ect...

I wouldn't worry, there are a few factors to consider, the OP was checking in on a Sunday a.m. a very busy turnover day and time as we've checked in on Saturday numerous times without hardly a wait. Also it's summer and if I'm not mistaken the beginning of the free dining promotion. Sundays are notoriously bad travel days, on a past trip to Europe we flew back into Newark on a Sunday, OMG it was a nightmare trying to get through customs, literally hundreds of people jammed into the cues of about 5 agents. Also, you are going in January, a much less crowded time of year in general. The only time of year we've had issues with big park crowds was over Christmas, duh, no kidding. We checked into CBR this past May on a Sat. and the line was to the door, they had a CM walking the line asking if anyone had any questions, we were checked in within about 10 mins. As for the bus thing, we always have a car with us so it's not really an issue.

 

[tcp0421]

OK, we are staying at POR in October and now I am getting nervous! ANOTHER NEGATIVE POST! Anyone else just get back from there and have a GOOD report??? I really don't want to switch resorts at this point!

Ok, we leave in 7 days! I am also getting really nervous about staying at POR! The last few days I have been reading a lot of posts negative! Oh No! What do I do? My In-laws are up in age. My MIL has a bad heart, in fact she was just in the hospital last week. She is determained she is still going to Disney. This is her first time, I hope POR is not as bad as I read! What do I do now?

 

[chickenskin]

Ok, we leave in 7 days! I am also getting really nervous about staying at POR! The last few days I have been reading a lot of posts negative! Oh No! What do I do? My In-laws are up in age. My MIL has a bad heart, in fact she was just in the hospital last week. She is determained she is still going to Disney. This is her first time, I hope POR is not as bad as I read! What do I do now?

I've read bad reviews of every resort we've stayed at so far, CBR, POR and the Poly, and I haven't once changed a res. because of it. We've yet to have a bad stay at any WDW resort, that's not to say that things don't happen, they do, but for every bad review there are many more good ones. Do a search on the forum, heck PM some of those that recently returned and ask them directly. We really like POR and will be staying there for 2nts. in Dec. prior to our WL stay. Only one person from each room has to go to the front desk to check in, if it's very busy, maybe send your in-laws to the food court for coffee or sit out by the dock area while you check in, that way they won't be exposed to the hustle and bustle.

Not to get preachy, but if you want to know anxiety prior to and during a trip, take a surf trip to Central America, or camping in Mexico, alone. Let me tell you these trips have made me much more tolerant of what might happen while traveling. Absolutely nothing Disney throws at me could ruffle my feathers anymore.

 

[tcp0421]

I've read bad reviews of every resort we've stayed at so far, CBR, POR and the Poly, and I haven't once changed a res. because of it. We've yet to have a bad stay at any WDW resort, that's not to say that things don't happen, they do, but for every bad review there are many more good ones. Do a search on the forum, heck PM some of those that recently returned and ask them directly. We really like POR and will be staying there for 2nts. in Dec. prior to our WL stay. Only one person from each room has to go to the front desk to check in, if it's very busy, maybe send your in-laws to the food court for coffee or sit out by the dock area while you check in, that way they won't be exposed to the hustle and bustle.

That is what I was thinking. I wasnt sure if they actually had to be there for check in or not. That would be better if we did it for them. They get very overwelmed at the smallest things. We were over their house the other night and my FIL is so worried about all the paper work they got from Disney! He asks me all the time about it. I think today I will go over there and go threw what he has there and "TRY" to explain everything to him.

 

[boomhauer]

I'm sorry, but if the check-in line was indeed going all the way back to the food court and there were only 3 people working, that is unacceptable. No doubt in my mind, I would have gotten in my car (or called a taxi), gone to a different resort and checked in there. Of course, that line could be bad too or there might be no occupancy. I don't know. Tough one I guess.

I had no problems with check-in at POR in July. It was also a Tuesday. The food court lines for breakfast were just ridiculous. Only ate there once. That being said, I simply didn't care for POR. Won't stay there again.

 

[pbnanner]

this is making me VERY VERY VERY nervous about my honeymoon stay at POR coming up in january... I hear the crowds are alot better that time of the year... but still.... hmmm i don't know what to do now... and i just booked today!!
does anyone think it will be better this time of year?? i don't want to spend my whole honeymoon wading through crowds on busses, waiting in long lines, ect...

HI- I'm a lurker who just had to jump in here. We stayed at Riverside this past January (our second January trip to WDW) and everything from check in to bus waits was a breeze (and housekeeping was fantastic! They had a towel animal for each of my kids every single night). In my opinion, January is a great time to visit. I think you'll be just fine.....

 

[RKO1968]

Sorry about your stay. At least you still managed to have a good time overall.

 

[alldiz]

I was at POFQ from 8-26-8-30...

I was supposed to get an additional room at POR for 2 of those nights....
so DH and I could sneak away....DM would be with DD...

I called on the morning of checkin to see if I could cancel.....
They said no problem....I was joking with CM that they would
do the happy dance when I hung up....cause it's so busy....
She said they would try to wait till we hung up

Buses were busy 2x buses filled up at pofq and did not go to por....
Everyone was very busy.....
Sorry your trip was not so good.
Betta luck next time
Kerri

 

[eeyore45]

I've read bad reviews of every resort we've stayed at so far, CBR, POR and the Poly, and I haven't once changed a res. because of it. We've yet to have a bad stay at any WDW resort, that's not to say that things don't happen, they do, but for every bad review there are many more good ones. Do a search on the forum, heck PM some of those that recently returned and ask them directly. We really like POR and will be staying there for 2nts. in Dec. prior to our WL stay. Only one person from each room has to go to the front desk to check in, if it's very busy, maybe send your in-laws to the food court for coffee or sit out by the dock area while you check in, that way they won't be exposed to the hustle and bustle.

Not to get preachy, but if you want to know anxiety prior to and during a trip, take a surf trip to Central America, or camping in Mexico, alone. Let me tell you these trips have made me much more tolerant of what might happen while traveling. Absolutely nothing Disney throws at me could ruffle my feathers anymore.

Oh, that reminds me - DS girlfriend was in Peru - during the EARTHQUAKE!! It was a once in a lifetime trip with her father and sister for their graduation present!! So yes, perspective is a good thing to have!

I posted on the other POR can we change resorts thread - I posted pictures etc - I will agree that we did have anxiety issues - but when we stayed at WL the following year - problems - the line for that Food court was beyond long - at any time of the day (basically its a teeny tiny court for a deluxe resort!)

One time at park closing we got in line at the shorter POFQ line, thinking they've shared busses all week, no problem... and if worse comes to worse, we can walk... Well that bus driver chuckled when we were the last on the bus, adn asked us if we were POR people, and he gladly drove us to the resort - I felt terrible!!

I thought there was a new GPS system to help alleviate the lines ?

and I think this is how its going to be for the last week of Sept as well, for some reason the first week and the last week are hugely crowded - in between the crowds are ok...

 

[eliza61]

Sucks being you!

I was lambasted on another thread a while back for suggesting that people CAN and DO wait an hour to check in sometimes and that they need more people working at the front desks in all the hotels. So, hold on tight - they might eat you up.

No we're not going to eat her up, I'm just a little surprised that folks have an unrealistic view of disney (IMO) in the summer.

The buses are ALWAYS packed at the end of the night. Do you honestly think when 2 zillion people are leaving the park you will be able to walk right onto an empty bus or monorail?

I do agree disney needs to do some thing about the lack of personal but that's another post.

Standing up on a bus? Give me a break? It's free dining in the summer.

 

[Cindy B]

No we're not going to eat her up, I'm just a little surprised that folks have an unrealistic view of disney (IMO) in the summer.

The buses are ALWAYS packed at the end of the night. Do you honestly think when 2 zillion people are leaving the park you will be able to walk right onto an empty bus or monorail?

I do agree disney needs to do some thing about the lack of personal but that's another post.

Standing up on a bus? Give me a break? It's free dining in the summer.

It was standing on every bus, every trip. This wasn't just leaving parks, it was getting to parks in the early morning. By the time the bus showed up at Riverside from FQ the bus was packed. We were at the North Depot and by then the bus was standing room only. EVERY SINGLE TRIP!


I was expecting crowds at park closing, but not bus lines that extended out of the metal grid and all the way down to the OTHER end of the bus structure . I wasn't expecting to have to wait 2 busses to go from Magic Kingdom to Riverside at 2:30 in the afternoon. Riverside and French Quarter were supposed to have split busses from MK, but there never was a split line in the three days I was in PO. The bus lines were inching towards the legacy tiles at Epcot-- I've never seen return lines that bad ever!

I've been to Disney in the summer and during free dining. I knew it was going to be crowded but Riverside and French Quarter were both at capacity and it showed.

In contrast, Coronado was at capacity as well (a group rented the entire hotel) but bus waits were minimal. The same day the Epcot line was awful for Port Orleans we had seven people in line at Epcot closing. Many times there were less than 10 people on the bus total (at park closing).

 

[Mr. Stitch]

We've stayed at POR every year and had great experiences. Never seen a long line at the resort anywhere. I agree a bad experience can happen anywhere. But I would hope they are rare. We expect crowds and just try to plan our day to include a little extra time and go to meals, etc. at unorthodox times. So instead of lunch at noon, we have it at 10 or 2. Since it is vacation who cares. We also try to leave a park ASAP at the end of the day or linger in the park to be the last. This helps with the buses, but a packed bus is always rare in Sept.